[N  THE 

NAME 


A.R.XHUR,     VV. 
MARCHMONT 


IN    THE    NAME    OF 
A    WOMAN 


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"SHE  FIRED  TWO  SHOTS  IN  RAPID  SUCCESSION." — Page  i p. 


*  IN  THE  NAME  OF  \ 

|          A  WOMAN  \ 

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I      A.  W>  MARCHMONT  J 

*  Author  of  $ 

"By  Right  of  Sword"  "A  Dash  | 

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,»  Illustrated  by  A, 

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Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company 

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Publishers 


COPYRIGHT,  1900,  BY 
ARTHUR  W.  MARCHMONT. 


•CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   A  NIGHT  ADVENTURE  IN  SOFIA i 

II.    "  Now  You  WILL  HAVE  TO  JOIN  Us  " n 

III.  THE  PRINCESS  CHRISTINA 21 

IV.  "  THE  WEB  is  WIDE,  THE  MESHES  HARD  TO 

BREAK  " 32 

V.    ' '  SPERNOW  " 43 

VI.   THE  DUEL  AND  AFTER 54 

VII.   AT  THE  BALL 67 

VIII.   AT  THE  PALACE 79 

IX.    "  I  HAVE  UNBOUNDED  FAITH  IN  You  ''* 90 

X.    "  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN  " 101 

XL   BETRAYED 112 

XII.  THE  SPY 123 

XIII.  FACE  TO  FACE 135 

XIV.  THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE.. 148 

XV.  A  HOPELESS  OUTLOOK 161 

XVI.    "  IF  I  WERE  A  WOMAN  " 171 

XVII.  A  DASTARDLY  SCHEME 183 

XVIII.  THE  FIGHT 194 

XIX.    MY  ARREST 202 

XX.   A  WARNING 214 

XXI.   FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT 226 

v 

2131450 


vi  CONTENTS 

PACK 

XXII.  THE  HOUR  OF  INDECISION 236 

XXIII.  IN   FULL   CRY , 247 

XXIV.  THE  ATTACK 257 

XXV.  SUSPENSE. 267 

XXVI.   A  FORLORN  HOPE 280 

XXVII.   A  FRIEND  IN  NEED 291 

XXVIII.    A  FEARSOME  DILEMMA..... 303 

XXIX.   GENERAL  KOLFORT  TO  THE  RESCUE 313 

XXX.   THE  PUSH  FOR  THE  FRONTIER 323 

XXXI.  THE  RUINED  HUT  335 

XXXII.    "  GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN" 352 

XXXIII.  THE    END ....358 


CHAPTER  I 
A  NIGHT  ADVENTURE  IN  SOFIA 

"HELP!" 

The  cry,  faint  but  strenuous,  in  a  woman's  voice, 
rang  out  on  the  heavy  hot  night  air,  and  told  me  that 
one  of  those  abominable  deeds  that  were  so  rife  in  the 
lawless  Bulgarian  capital  was  in  progress,  and  I  hastened 
forward  in  angry  perplexity  trying  to  locate  the 
sound. 

I  knew  what  it  meant.  I  had  been  strolling  late 
through  the  hot,  close  streets  between  the  Park  and 
the  Cathedral,  when  a  woman  closely  hooded  had 
hurried  past  me,  dogged  by  a  couple  of  skulking,  scut- 
tling spies,  and  I  had  turned  to  follow  them.  Across 
the  broad  Cathedral  Square  I  had  lost  sight  of  them, 
and,  taking  at  random  one  of  the  streets  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  square,  I  was  walking  and  listening  for 
some  sound  to  guide  me  in  their  direction. 

"  Help  ! "  came  the  cry  again,  this  time  close  to  me 
from  behind  a  pair  of  large  wooden  gates,  one  of 
which  stood  ajar.  I  pushed  it  open  and  crossed  the 
courtyard  before  a  large  house,  loosening  as  I  ran  the 
blade  of  the  sword-stick  I  carried.  The  house  was  in 
darkness  in  the  front,  and  as  I  dashed  round  to  the 

i 


2  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

back  the  cry  was  uttered  for  the  third  time,  while  I 
caught  the  sounds  of  struggling. 

There  was  a  light  in  one  of  the  lower  rooms,  the 
long  casement  window  of  which  stood  partly  open, 
and  the  beams  came  straggling  in  a  thin  line  between 
some  nearly  closed  curtains.  With  a  spring  I  caught 
the  ledge,  and,  drawing  up  my  head  level  with  the 
window,  looked  in. 

What  I  saw  told  me  that  my  worst  fears  were  being 
realised.  The  woman  who  had  passed  me  in  the  street 
was  struggling  with  frantic  effort  to  hold  the  door  of 
the  room  against  someone  who  was  righting  to  get  in. 
Her  cloak  was  off,  and  her  head  and  face  uncovered. 
She  was  a  tall,  lithe,  strenuous  creature,  obviously  of 
great  strength  and  determination,  and  the  whiteness 
of  the  face,  now  set  and  resolute,  was  thrown  up  into 
the  strongest  contrast  by  a  mass  of  bright  red  hair, 
some  of  which  the  fierceness  of  the  struggle  had 
loosened.  She  was  striving  and  straining  with  enor- 
mous energy,  despite  the  fact  that  she  was  bleeding 
badly  from  a  wound  somewhere  in  the  shoulder  or 
upper  arm. 

As  I  glanced  in,  she  turned  her  head  in  my  direction 
with  the  look  of  a  tigress  at  bay  ;  and  I  guessed  that 
she  was  calculating  the  possibilities  of  escape  by 
means  of  the  window.  But  the  momentary  relaxation 
of  her  resistance  gave  the  men  a  better  chance,  and, 
to  my  horror,  I  saw  one  of  them  get  his  arm  in  and 
slash  and  thrust  at  her  with  his  knife. 

She  answered  with  a  greater  effort  of  her  own,  how- 
ever, and  succeeded  in  jamming  the  man's  arm  between 
the  door  and  the  lintel,  making  him  cry  out  with  an 
oath  that  reached  me. 

But  so  unequal  a  struggle  could  only   end  in  one 


A  NIGHT  ADVENTURE  IN  SOFIA          3 

way,  and  that  very  speedily  unless  I  intervened ;  so  I 
scrambled  on  to  the  window  ledge,  and  with  a  cry 
leapt  into  the  room.  At  the  noise  of  my  appearance, 
mistaking  me  no  doubt  for  a  third  ruffian  come  to 
attack  her,  the  woman's  courage  gave  out ;  she  uttered 
a  cry  of  despair  and  rushed  away  to  a  corner  of  the 
room.  She  released  the  door  so  suddenly  that  the  two 
men  came  staggering  and  blundering  into  the  room, 
almost  falling,  and  I  recognised  them  as  the  two 
rascals  I  had  seen  following  her. 

"  Have  no  fear,  madame  ;  I  am  here  to  help  you,"  I 
said,  and,  before  the  two  ruffians  had  recovered  from 
the  surprise  of  my  appearance,  I  was  upon  them.  One 
could  not  stop  his  rush  till  he  was  close  to  me,  and, 
having  him  at  this  disadvantage,  I  crashed  my  fist  into 
his  face  with  a  tremendous  blow,  knocking  him  down 
with  such  force  that  his  head  fell  with  a  heavy  thud 
against  the  floor,  and  his  dagger  flew  out  of  his  hand 
and  spun  clattering  across  the  room  almost  to  the  feet 
of  the  woman. 

The  second  was  more  wary,  but  in  a  trice  I  whipped 
out  my  sword,  held  him  at  bay,  and  vowed  in  stern, 
ringing  tones  that  I  would  run  him  through  the  body 
if  he  wasn't  outside  the  room  in  a  brace  of  seconds. 
I  saw  him  flinch.  He  had  no  stomach  for  this  kind  of 
fight,  and  he  was  giving  way  before  me  when  a  cry 
from  the  man  I  had  knocked  down  drew  our  attention. 

The  woman,  seeing  her  chance,  had  picked  up  the 
rascal's  dagger,  and  with  the  light  of  murder  in  her 
eyes,  was  stealing  upon  the  fallen  man. 

Instantly  I  sprang  between  her  and  him. 

"  No,  no,  madame;  no  bloodshed!"  I  cried  to  her; 
and  then  to  the  men,  "Be  off,  while  your  skins  are 
whole  ! "  The  words  were  not  out  of  my  lips  before 


4  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

the  unarmed  man  had  already  reached  the  door  in  full 
flight,  and  his  companion,  seeing  I  meant  to  act  only 
on  the  defensive,  and  recognising  the  uselessness  of 
any  further  attack,  followed  him,  though  less  precipi- 
tately. 

"  Why  did  you  stop  me  killing  such  a  brute  ?  "  cried 
the  woman  angrily,  her  eyes  blazing.  "  They  both 
meant  to  murder  me,  and  would  have  done  it  if  you 
had  not  come.  They  had  earned  death." 

"  But  I  did  not  come  to  play  the  butcher,"  I  an- 
swered somewhat  sternly,  repelled  by  her  indifference 
to  bloodshed. 

"  Follow  them  and  kill  them  now ! "  she  cried  vin- 
dictively. "Do  you  hear?  Kill  them  before  they 
carry  the  story  of  this  rescue  to  their  masters ;  "  and 
in  her  frenzy  she  took  hold  of  my  arm  and  shook  it, 
urging  me  toward  the  door. 

"  Better  see  to  your  wound,"  I  returned,  as  I  sheathed 
my  sword. 

"  Bah,  you  are  mad  !  I  have  no  patience  with  you  !  " 
She  shrugged  her  shoulders  as  though  I  were  little 
better  than  a  contemptible  coward,  and  walked  to  the 
end  of  the  room  and  stood  in  the  lamplight  half  turned 
away  from  me. 

The  pose  revealed  to  me  the  full  majestic  grace  of 
her  form,  while  the  profile  of  her  face,  as  thrown  into 
half  shadow  by  the  rather  dim  light  of  the  room,  set 
me  wondering.  It  was  not  a  beautiful  face.  The  fea- 
tures, nose  and  mouth  especially,  were  too  large,  the 
cheek  bones  too  high,  the  colour  too  pale  ;  but  it  was  a 
face  full  of  such  power  and  strength  and  resource  that 
it  compelled  your  admiration  and  silenced  your  criti- 
cal judgment.  A  woman  to  be  remarked  anywhere. 

But  when  she  turned  her  eyes  upon  me  a  moment 


A  NIGHT  ADVENTURE  IN  SOFIA          5 

later,  they  seemed  to  rivet  me  with  an  indescribable 
and  irresistible  fascination.  In  striking  contrast  to 
the  rich  red  hair  and  the  pale  skin,  the  eyes  were  as 
black  as  night.  The  iris  almost  as  dark  as  the  pupil, 
the  white  opalescent  in  its  clearness,  and  fringed  with 
lashes  and  brows  of  deep  brown.  She  caught  my  gaze 
on  her,  and  held  it  with  a  look  so  intense  that  I  could 
scarcely  turn  away. 

Her  bosom  was  heaving,  and  her  breath  coming  and 
going  quickly  with  her  exertions  and  excitement,  and 
after  a  moment,  without  saying  a  word,  she  threw 
herself  into  a  low  chair  and  hid  her  face  in  her  hands. 

Who  could  she  be  ?  That  she  was  a  woman  of  sta- 
tion was  manifest.  The  richness  of  her  dress,  the  ap- 
pointments of  the  room,  told  this  plainly,  even  if  her 
mien  and  carriage  had  not  proclaimed  it ;  and  yet  she 
seemed  alone  in  the  house.  It  was  a  position  of  con- 
siderable embarrassment,  and  for  the  moment  I  did 
not  know  what  to  do. 

I  had  no  wish  to  be  mixed  up  in  any  such  intrigue 
as  was  clearly  at  the  bottom  of  this  business;  and 
though  I  was  glad  to  have  saved  her  life,  I  was  anx- 
ious to  be  gone  before  any  further  developments  should 
involve  me  in  unpleasant  consequences. 

There  was  no  more  dangerous  hornet's  nest  of  in- 
trigue and  conspiracy  than  Sofia  to  be  found  in  Eu- 
rope at  that  time,  and  the  secret  mission  which  had 
brought  me  to  the  city  about  a  fortnight  before  was 
more  than  enough  to  tax  all  my  energies  and  power, 
without  any  such  additional  complication  as  this  ad- 
venture seemed  to  promise.  My  object  was  to  get  to 
the  bottom  of  the  secret  machinations  by  which  Russia 
was  endeavouring  to  close  her  grip  of  iron  on  the  throne 
and  country  of  Bulgaria,  and,  if  possible,  thwart  them  ; 


6  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

and  I  had  been  trying  and  testing  by  every  secret 
means  at  my  command  to  find  a  path  that  would  lead 
me  to  my  end.  It  must  be  a  delicate  and  dangerous 
task  enough  under  the  best  auspices,  but  if  I  were  to  be 
embarrassed  now  by  the  coils  of  any  private  vengeance 
feud,  I  ran  a  good  chance  of  being  baffled  completely. 

Even  before  this  night  the  difficulties  in  my  way  had 
appeared  as  hopeless  as  the  perils  were  inevitable  ;  and 
I  had  felt  as  a  man  might  feel  who  had  resolved  to 
stay  the  progress  of  a  railway  train  by  laying  his  head 
on  the  metals.  But  if  this  affair  were  as  deadly  as  it 
seemed,  I  might  find  my  head  struck  off  before  even 
the  train  came  in  sight. 

Yet  to  leave  such  a  woman  in  this  helpless  plight 
was  the  act  of  a  coward,  and  not  to  be  thought  of  for 
a  moment ;  and  I  stood  looking  at  her  in  sheer  per- 
plexity and  indecision. 

She  lay  back  in  her  seat  for  some  minutes,  making 
no  attempt  to  call  assistance,  not  even  taking  her  hands 
from  her  face,  and  paying  no  heed  whatever  to  her 
wound,  the  blood  from  which  had  stained  her  dress. 

I  roused  myself  at  length,  and,  feeling  the  sheer  ne- 
cessity of  doing  something,  went  to  the  door  and  called 
loudly  for  the  servants. 

"  It  is  useless  to  call ;  there  is  no  one  in  the  house," 
she  said,  her  voice  now  trembling  slightly  ;  and  with  a 
deep  sigh  she  rose  from  her  chair,  and  after  a  moment's 
pause  crossed  the  room  to  me.  She  fixed  her  eyes 
upon  my  face ;  her  look  had  changed  from  that  of  the 
vengeful  Fury  who  had  repelled  me  with  her  violent 
recklessness  of  passion  to  one  of  ineffable  sweetness, 
tenderness,  and  gratitude.  Out  of  her  eyes  had  died 
down  all  the  wildness,  and  what  remained  charmed 
and  thrilled  me,  until  I  felt  myself  almost  constrained 


A  NIGHT  ADVENTURE  IN  SOFIA          7 

to  throw  myself  at  her  feet  in  eagerness  to  do  what- 
ever she  bade  me. 

"  You  will  think  me  an  ingrate,  or  a  miser  of  my 
thanks,  sir,"  she  said  in  a  tone  rich  and  soft ;  "  and  yet, 
believe  me,  my  heart  is  full  of  gratitude." 

"  Please  say  no  more,"  I  replied,  with  a  wave  of  the 
hand ;  "  but  tell  me,  can  I  be  of  any  further  service  ? 
Your  wound — can  I  not  get  you  assistance  ?  " 

She  paid  no  heed  to  the  question,  but  remained 
gazing  steadfastly  into  my  eyes.  Then  her  face  broke 
into  a  smile  that  transfigured  it  until  it  seemed  to  glow 
with  a  quite  radiant  beauty. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  you  can  serve  me — if  you  will ;  but 
not  only  in  the  manner  you  think.  The  servants  have 
deserted  the  house.  I  am  alone  to-night — alone  and 
quite  in  your  power."  She  lingered  on  the  words, 
paused,  and  then  added :  "  But  in  the  power  of  a  man 
of  honour." 

"  How  can  I  serve  you  ?    You  have  but  to  ask." 

"  I  wish  I  could  think  that,"  was  the  quick  answer, 
with  a  flash  from  her  eyes.  "  But  first  for  this,"  and 
she  rapidly  bared  the  wound,  revealing  an  arm  and 
shoulder  of  surpassing  beauty  of  form.  "  Can  you 
bind  this  up?"  For  the  moment  I  was  amazed  at  this 
complete  abandonment  of  all  usual  womanly  reserve. 
The  action  was  deliberate,  however,  and  I  read  it  as  at 
once  a  sign  of  her  trust  and  confidence  in  me,  and  a 
test  of  my  honour.  The  hurt  was  not  serious.  The 
man's  blade  had  pierced  the  soft  white  flesh  of  the 
shoulder,  but  had  not  penetrated  deep ;  and  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  staunching  the  blood  and  binding 
it  up. 

"  It  is  not  a  serious  wound,"  I  said  reassuringly.  "  I 
am  glad." 


8  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  That  is  no  fault  of  the  dastard  who  struck  at  me. 
It  was  aimed  at  my  heart." 

She  showed  not  the  least  embarrassment,  but  ap- 
peared bent  on  making  me  feel  that  she  trusted  me  as 
implicitly  as  a  child.  When  I  had  bound  up  the 
wound  she  resumed  her  dress,  taking  care  to  put  the 
stains  of  blood  out  of  sight ;  and  then,  with  a  few 
swift,  graceful  movements,  for  all  the  stiffness  of  the 
hurt,  she  coiled  up  the  loose  tresses  of  her  hair. 

When  she  had  finished  she  went  to  a  cabinet,  and, 
taking  wine  and  glasses,  filled  them. 

"  You  will  pledge  me  ?  "  and  she  looked  the  invitation. 
"  We  women  are  so  weak.  I  am  beginning  to  feel 
the  reaction." 

I  was  putting  the  glass  to  my  lips  when  she  stopped 
me. 

"  Stay,  I  wish  to  know  to  whom  I  owe  my  life  ?  " 

So  powerful  was  the  strange  influence  she  exerted 
that  I  was  on  the  point  of  blurting  out  the  truth,  that 
I  was  Gerald  Winthrop,  an  Englishman,  when  I 
steadied  my  scrambled  wits,  and,  mindful  of  my  secret 
mission  in  the  country  and  of  the  part  I  was  playing, 
I  replied : 

"  I  am  the  Count  Benderoff,  of  Radova." 

She  saw  the  hesitation,  but  put  it  down  to  a  mo- 
mentary reluctance  to  disclose  my  identity,  for  she 
answered  : 

"  You  will  not  repent  having  trusted  me  with  your 
name,  Count."  Then,  with  a  flashing,  subtle  under- 
glance,  she  added,  "And  do  you  know  me?" 

"  As  yet,  madame,  I  have  not  that  honour,  to  my 
regret." 

"  Yet  I  am  not  unknown  in  Bulgaria,"  and  she  raised 
her  head  with  a  gesture  of  infinite  pride. 


A  NIGHT  ADVENTURE  IN  SOFIA          9 

"  I  am  a  stranger  in  Sofia,"  said  I,  in  excuse  of  my 
ignorance. 

"  Even  strangers  know  of  the  staunch  woman-friend 
of  his  Highness  the  Prince.  I  am  the  Countess  Anna 
Bokara." 

I  knew  her  well  enough  by  repute,  and  her  presence 
in  the  house  alone  and  defenceless  was  the  more 
mystifying. 

"  Permit  me  to  wish  you  a  speedy  recovery  from 
your  wound,  Countess,"  and  to  cover  the  thoughts 
which  her  words  started  I  raised  my  glass.  She  seemed 
almost  to  caress  me  with  her  eyes  and  voice  as  she 
replied  : 

"  I  drink  to  my  newest  friend,  that  rare  thing  in  this 
distracted  country,  a  man  of  honour,  the  Count  Ben- 
deroff,  of  Radova."  As  she  set  her  glass  down  she 
added  :  "  My  enemies  have  done  me  a  splendid  service, 
Count — they  have  brought  me  your  friendship.  They 
could  not  have  made  us  a  nobler  or  more  timely  gift. 
The  Prince  has  need  of  such  a  man  as  you." 

I  bowed  but  did  not  answer. 

"  You  are  a  stranger  here,  you  say.  May  I  ask  your 
purpose  in  coming?  " 

"  I  am  in  search  of  a  career." 

"  I  can  promise  you  that,"  she  cried  swiftly,  with 
manifest  pleasure.  "  I  can  promise  you  that  certainly, 
if  you  will  serve  his  Highness  as  bravely  as  you  have 
served  me  to-night.  You  must  not  think,  because  you 
see  me  here,  seemingly  alone  and  helpless,  that  I  have 
lost  my  influence  and  power  in  the  country.  My 
enemies  have  done  this — Russia  through  the  vile  agents 
she  sends  here  to  wound  this  distracted  country  to  the 
death — suborning  all  that  is  honourable,  debasing  all 
that  is  pure,  undermining  all  that  is  patriotic,  lying, 


io  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

slandering,  scheming,  wrecking,  destroying,  working 
all  and  any  evil,  bloodshed,  and  horror,  to  serve  the 
one  end  ever  in  their  eyes — the  subjugation  of  this 
wretched  people.  My  God  !  that  such  injustice  should 
be  wrought ! " 

The  fire  and  passion  flamed  in  her  face  as  she  spoke 
with  rapid  vehemence. 

"  But  it  is  by  such  men  as  you  that  this  can  best  be 
thwarted — can  only  be  thwarted.  I  tell  you,  Count, 
the  Prince  has  need  of  such  men  as  you.  Pledge  me 
now  that  you  will  join  him  and — and  me.  You  have 
seen  here  to-night  the  lengths  to  which  these  villains 
would  go.  Because  of  my  influence  with  the  Prince, 
and  in  opposition  to  Russia,  I  have  been  lured  here 
by  a  lying  message  ;  lured  to  be  murdered  in  cold 
blood,  as  you  saw.  You  saved  my  life  ;  I  have  put 
my  honour  in  your  hands  ;  you  have  offered  to  serve 
me.  You  are  a  brave,  true,  honourable  man.  You 
must  be  with  us  !  "  she  cried  vehemently.  "  Give  me 
your  word — nay,  you  have  given  it,  and  I  can  claim  it. 
You  will  not  desert  me.  Make  the  cause  of  truth  and 
honour  yours,  and  tell  me  that  my  Prince  and  I  may 
rely  on  you." 

She  set  me  on  fire  with  her  words  and  glances  of 
appeal,  and  at  the  close  she  laid  her  hands  on  mine, 
until  I  was  thrilled  by  the  infection  of  her  enthusiasm, 
while  her  eyes  sought  mine,  and  she  seemed  to  hunger 
for  the  words  of  consent  for  which  she  waited. 


CHAPTER  II 

"NOW  YOU   WILL  HAVE  TO  JOIN   US  " 

TEMPTING  as  the  offer  was  which  my  strange  com- 
panion made  me,  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  accept  it 
without  time  for  consideration,  and  my  hesitation  in 
replying  irritated  and  seemed  to  anger  her. 

She  thrust  my  hands  away  from  her  with  petulant 
quickness. 

"  You  are  a  man  of  strangely  deliberate  discretion, 
Count,"  she  said  as  she  turned  away  to  the  end  of  the 
room  and  threw  herself  into  her  chair  again,  from  which 
she  regarded  me  with  a  glance  half  scornful,  half  en- 
treating. 

"  If  I  do  not  accept  at  once,  believe  me  it  is  from 
no  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  honour  you  offer  me  or 
the  charm  with  which  it  is  offered,  but  circumstances 
compel  me  to  be  deliberate." 

"  Circumstances?"  she  cried,  with  a  shrug  of  disdain 
and  disappointment. 

"  I  regret  that  I  cannot  explain  them." 

I  could  not,  without  telling  her  the  whole  reason  of 
my  presence  in  Sofia ;  and  that  was  of  course  impos- 
sible. My  secret  commission  was  from  the  British 
Government,  and  the  intrigue  which  I  had  to  try  and 
defeat  was  designed  to  depose  her  Prince,  and  set  on 
the  throne  in  his  place  a  woman  who  would  be  a  mere 
tool  in  the  hands  of  Russia. 

I  am  half  a  Roumanian  by  birth,  my  father  having 

zx 


12  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

married  the  Countess  of  Radova,  and  my  childhood 
had  been  spent  in  the  Balkan  peninsula.  It  was  on 
one  of  my  visits  to  the  estates  in  Radova  that  I  had 
come  across  the  scent  of  this  newest  Russian  intrigue, 
and  as  I  had  already  had  close  communications  with 
the  British  Foreign  Office  and  accepted  one  or  two 
missions  of  a  secret  character,  I  had  volunteered  for 
this,  believing  that  single-handed  I  could  effect  secretly 
much  more  than  could  be  done  by  the  ordinary  machin- 
ery of  diplomacy.  The  Balkan  States  were  in  a  con- 
dition of  ferment  and  unrest ;  the  war  between 
Bulgaria  and  Servia  had  ended  not  long  previously ; 
Russia  was  keenly  bent  upon  rendering  her  influence 
impregnable ;  and  as  no  other  European  Government 
would  interfere,  our  Foreign  Office  was  loath  to  take 
open  measures. 

At  such  a  juncture  my  services  were  readily  accepted, 
and  I  had  arrived  in  Sofia  a  couple  of  weeks  before, 
and  was  just  forming  my  plans,  when  this  startling 
incident  had  occurred. 

I  had  stipulated  for  a  perfectly  free  hand  as  to  the 
course  I  should  pursue,  and  the  means  I  should  adopt 
to  secure  my  end — a  concession  that  had  been  granted 
me  with  the  one  stipulation  that  if  I  failed  or  if  trouble 
arose  through  my  agency  our  Foreign  Office  would  be 
at  liberty  to  disown  me. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  how  strongly  I  was  tempted  to 
accept  the  offer  which  the  Countess  Bokara  made  me, 
and  which  I  knew  she  was  in  a  position  to  carry  out. 
But  still  I  hesitated,  unwilling  to  commit  myself 
definitely  to  either  side  prematurely,  lest  such  open 
alliance  with  the  one  side  should  make  me  a  mark  for 
the  hostility  of  the  other. 

My  instincts,  sympathies,  English  associations  and 


"NOW  YOU  WILL  HAVE  TO  JOIN  US"    13 

wishes  all  prompted  me  to  accept  the  offer  and  throw 
myself  heart  and  soul  into  the  cause  of  the  Prince ; 
but  I  had  to  walk  by  the  cooler  guidance  of  judgment, 
and  it  had  before  been  in  my  thoughts  rather  to  seek 
an  alliance  with  the  Russian  party  and  find  among 
their  ranks  the  men  and  means  for  a  counter  intrigue 
to  thwart  theirs. 

I  resolved,  therefore,  not  to  pledge  myself  to  this 
witching  woman,  whose  strange  personality  wielded 
such  fascinating  influence. 

Few  as  were  the  moments  that  sufficed  for  these 
reflections,  they  were  too  many  for  my  companion's 
patience. 

"How  came  you  here  to-night  so  opportunely?" 
she  asked,  breaking  the  silence  suddenly. 

"  You  passed  me  on  the  other  side  of  the  Cathedral 
Square,  and  I  then  observed  you  were  being  followed. 
I  followed  in  my  turn,  lest  you  should  be  in  need  of 
assistance." 

"  There  are  not  many  men  in  Sofia  who  would  have 
dared  to  interfere  in  such  a  cause.  But  for  you  I 
should  be  dead  now,"  she  shuddered,  "and  the  Prince 
would  have  had  one  friend  the  less — or  may  I  not  say, 
two  friends?  " 

"  The  Prince  will  always  have  a  friend  in  me,"  I  re- 
turned guardedly. 

She  made  a  movement  of  impatience. 

"  I  want  no  general  phrases."  Then  after  a  pause 
and  in  a  different  tone,  she  added  :  "  Tell  me,  what 
arguments  are  the  strongest  that  I  can  use  with  you, 
my  friend  ?  You  said  just  .now  you  were  seeking  a 
career.  Have  you  ambitions?  If  so,  I  can  promise 
you  a  splendid  fulfilment  of  them.  Do  you  wish 
riches?  They  shall  be  yours  !  Have  you  a  heart  ?  I 


14  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

will  find  you  as  fair  a  bride  as  man's  eyes  can  rest 
upon.  Have  you  judgment  ?  Aye,  have  you  any- 
thing— except  a  commitment  to  the  other  side — and 
I  can  prevail  with  you.  Join  us,  and  before  three 
months  are  over  your  head  you  shall  be  the  Prince's 
right  hand — and  mine."  The  subtle  witchery  of  her 
tone  in  the  last  two  words  was  indescribable. 

But  I  would  not  let  her  prevail,  though  her  words 
and  manner  were  well-nigh  dazzling  enough  to  carry 
me  out  of  myself.  The  magnetism  of  her  mere  pres- 
ence was  overpowering. 

"  You  are  not  fair  to  me,  Countess.  A  man  cannot 
reason  coldly  in  the  presence  of  such  charms  as  you 
exert,"  I  answered,  stooping  to  flattery,  though  telling 
the  truth. 

She  shook  her  head  and  tapped  her  foot  on  the 
ground. 

"  Say  no,  bluntly,  if  you  will,  but  do  not  try  to  slip 
away  with  words  of  cheap  and  empty  flattery.  I  am 
not  appealing  to  you  to  join  for  my  sake,  gladly  as  I 
would  welcome  you,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  Prince, 
for  the  cause  of  truth,  for  the  honour  and  safety  of 

Bulgaria.  Stay "  as  I  was  about  to  answer,  "  I 

have  seen  you  act  and  I  have  read  your  character.  I 
do  not  make  mistakes.  I  know  you  are  to  be  trusted. 
You  have  saved  my  life,  at  a  greater  risk  than  you 
may  think,  for  you  will  be  a  marked  man  now ;  and 
I  will  do  more  than  put  my  life  in  your  hands — I  will 
tell  you  everything.  You  will  not  reveal  it — though, 
Heaven  knows,  betrayal  is  the  religion  of  most  men 
here,"  she  exclaimed  bitterly. 

"  I  would  rather  you  told  me  none  of  your  secrets," 
I  said,  but  she  swept  my  protest  aside  with  a  wave  of 
the  hand. 


"  NOW  YOU  WILL  HAVE  TO  JOIN  US"    15 

"  You  wonder  why  you  find  me  here  in  this  house 
alone  at  night.  You  must  wonder ;  I  will  tell  you. 
It  is  my  mother's  house — my  own  is  across  the  city 
near  the  Palace — and  to-night  her  own  maid  came  to 
me  with  an  urgent  message  that  my  mother  had  been 
stricken  down  suddenly  and  was  dying,  and  that  I 
must  come  at  once.  It  was  a  lie,  of  course,  though 
for  the  moment  it  blinded  me.  I  hurried  here  on  foot, 
too  anxious  even  to  wait  for  a  carriage  to  be  got  ready, 
and  when  I  arrived  the  place  was  empty.  While  I  was 
wondering  whether  I  had  been  betrayed,  the  men  you 
saw — to  whom  keys  of  the  place  had  been  given — 
entered,  and  would  assuredly  have  murdered  me  but 
for  your  arrival.  That  is  how  Russia  plays  her  cards 
in  Bulgaria." 

"  How  do  you  know  they  were  Russian  agents?" 

"  How  do  I  know  that  when  I  am  hungry  I  want  to 
eat  ?  Wearied,  I  need  sleep  ?  Bah  !  do  you  think  I 
have  no  instincts,  and  do  not  know  my  enemies? 
How  do  I  know  their  plans  and  plots  ?"  She  fired 
the  questions  at  me  with  vindictive  indignation  and  a 
smile  of  surprise  that  I  should  even  ask  such  a  thing. 
Then  her  expression  changed  to  one  of  deep  earnest- 
ness, her  tone  hard  and  bitter. 

"  I  will  tell  you  how  you  shall  know  it,  too.  They 
have  tried  every  other  means  but  this  to  separate  me 
from  my  Prince.  Threats  at  which  I  laughed ;  bribes 
to  be  anything  I  pleased,  which  I  scorned ;  hints  of 
his  assassination,  which  I  carried  to  him  ;  everything 
— till  only  this  was  left ;  and  now  this,"  and  she 
touched  her  wound  lightly.  "  And  even  this,  thanks 
to  your  valour,  Count,  has  now  failed.  And  their  ob- 
ject, you  will  ask  ?  They  have  a  plot  to  drive  my 
Prince  from  Bulgaria,  because  he  will  not  be  their 


16  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

tool.  You  know  he  will  not ;  all  Europe  knows  it,  and 
knows  too  that  the  only  chance  for  Bulgaria's  real  in- 
dependence is  that  he  shall  remain  on  the  throne  here. 
And  remain  he  shall,  I  swear,  by  the  great  God  they 
all  profess  to  worship,  in  spite  of  all  their  crafty  in- 
trigue and  bloodthirsty  plotting.  And  yet,  mark  you, 
the  worst  danger  lies  not  with  them,  but  with  the  fools 
and  traitors  in  Bulgaria  itself  whom  they  delude  or 
suborn.  There  is  not  a  self-interest  to  which  they  do 
not  appeal,  from  the  ambition  of  the  fool  to  the  cor- 
ruptness of  the  knave.  And  God  knows,  both  knaves 
and  fools  are  plentiful  enough  here." 

"  And  their  scheme  ?  "  I  asked,  moved  by  her  intense 
earnestness. 

She  looked  at  me  sharply. 

"  Then  you  do  wish  to  hear  it  ?  "  she  asked,  refer- 
ring to  my  former  protest.  "  You  shall.  There  is  a 
woman — a  seemingly  innocent,  soft-natured  thing,  all 
sweetness  and  grace,  but  a  devil ;  with  the  beauty  of 
an  angel  and  the  heart  of  a  vampire — a  devil." 

Her  fury  was  instant,  overwhelming,  absorbing. 

"  Did  they  propose  marrying  her  to  your  Prince?  " 
I  asked,  making  a  shot. 

She  darted  at  me  a  swift  glance  that  might  have 
been  winged  with  hate  at  the  mere  suggestion.  Then 
her  eyes  changed,  and  she  laughed  and  said  softly  : 

"  You  are  the  man  for  us.  Calm  as  a  sword  and  as 
sharp  as  the  point.  Yes,  they  dared  even  that — but  I 
was  in  the  way.  In  another  woman's  hands  they 
thought  he  might  have  been  won  round.  But  rather 
than  see  him  the  husband  of  that  fiend,  Christina,  I 
myself  would  have  plunged  a  dagger  into  his  heart — 
and  they  guessed  this,  I  suppose,  and  changed  the 
plan.  She  is  the  Princess  of  Orli,  as  probably  you 


"NOW  YOU  WILL  HAVE  TO  JOIN  US"    17 

know — for  I  don't  suppose  you  are  quite  as  unknowing 
as  you  seem — and  apparently  is  all  for  Bulgaria  and 
the  Bulgarians.  Like  you,  she  is  a  Roumanian,  and 
like  you,  if  I  read  you  right,  she  is  driven  from  her 
country  by  the  all-powerful  Russian  predominance — 
at  least,  that's  what  she  says.  Isn't  that  why  you 
left  ?  "  she  asked,  with  quick  shrewdness. 

"  The  Russian  predominance  there  is  undoubted,"  I 
answered. 

She  liked  the  answer  and  laughed. 

"  Good  !  you  are  cautious,  and  I  don't  blame  you. 
For  the  lips  that  breathe  out  rashness  breathe  in  dan- 
ger, my  friend.  But  now,  will  you  join  us?  You  can 
see  the  career  that  awaits  such  a  man  as  yourself  here 
— at  the  right  hand  of  the  Prince." 

"  But  if  the  Princess  Christina  is  opposed  to  Russia, 
how  does  she  threaten  Bulgaria?" 

"  Aye,  if  ?  "  and  she  laughed  scornfully.  "  There  is 
another  complication.  The  woman  has  sold  herself  to 
the  Russians.  She  is  betrothed  secretly  to  one  of  the 
worst  of  them  all,  a  man  of  infinite  vileness  and  treach- 
ery— the  Duke  Sergius.  And  the  plot  is  that  as  soon 
as  this  Christina  is  on  the  throne,  the  precious  pair  are 
to  be  married,  and  Russia  triumphs  in  despite  of  any- 
thing Europe  may  say  to  the  contrary." 

"  I  see,"  and  so  in  truth  I  did ;  for  in  a  moment  the 
kernel  of  the  whole  movement  was  laid  bare  to  me,  as 
well  as  the  objective  of  all  my  work  in  Bulgaria.  I 
remained  some  moments  buried  in  thought,  and  all 
the  time  my  companion's  eyes  were  searching  my  face 
for  a  clue  to  my  thoughts.  "  It  is  very  Russian,"  I 
said  at  length,  equivocally  ;  and  at  the  words  she  made 
a  quick  gesture  of  impatience. 

"  You  will  not  give  me  a  sign/'  she  cried,  and  jumped 


18  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

to  her  feet  impulsively.  "  But  you  will  join  us  ?  "  she 
asked.  She  came  close  to  me  as  she  waited  for  the 
answer,  and  when  I  did  not  answer,  she  added  quickly^ 
"  Why  do  you  hesitate  ?  " 

Before  I  could  reply,  we  both  heard  a  noise  some- 
where in  the  house. 

"  What  can  that  be  ?  "  I  asked.  "  You  said  there 
was  no  one  in  the  house." 

"  None,  that  I  know ;  "  and  we  both  stood  listening 
intently.  "  Those  rascals  may  have  left  the  place  open 
and  let  in  some  of  the  thieves  that  infest  the  streets." 

"  Those  are  no  thieves'  footsteps,"  I  answered,  as 
quick  steps  were  heard  approaching  the  room. 

"  It  may  be  another  attempt  on  me — but  I  have  a 
brave  defender  now,"  she  said,  under  her  breath. 

I  had  a  revolver  with  me  and  took  it  out  of  my  pocket, 
glancing  to  see  that  the  chambers  were  all  loaded. 

"  You  had  better  stand  back  at  the  end  of  the  room 
there,"  and  I  went  towards  the  door. 

At  that  moment  it  was  opened  quickly,  and  three 
men  in  uniform  entered. 

"  Stand  !  "  I  called.     "  What  do  you  want  here  ?  " 

"  I  am  an  agent  of  the  Government  and  hold  an  order 
for  the  arrest  of  the  Countess  Bokara,"  answered  the 
leader,  coming  to  a  sudden  halt  when  he  saw  me  in  the 
way  armed. 

"  Well,  you  cannot  execute  it  now." 

"  My  orders  are  imperative,  sir,  and  you  will  resist 
me  at  your  peril." 

"  I  shall  resist,"  said  I  shortly.  "  Where's  your 
order?" 

"  I  have  it,  that  is  enough,"  he  replied  with  equal 
curtness. 

"  Produce  it !  " 


"NOW  YOU  WILL  HAVE  TO  JOIN  US"    19 

"  That  is  not  in  my  instructions." 

"  Then  I  don't  believe  you  have  it.  Leave  the  house 
before  there  is  any  further  trouble." 

"  I  must  do  my  duty.  Georgiew,"  he  called  to  one 
of  the  two  men,  who  had  kept  close  to  the  door  in  fear, 
but  now  stepped  up  to  his  leader's  side. 

"  Who  has  signed  your  order?  "  asked  the  Countess, 
interposing. 

"  One  whose  authority  is  sufficient  for  me." 

"But  not  for  me,"  she  cried.  I  turned,  and  found 
to  my  surprise  that  she  had  come  to  my  side,  and  was 
staring  with  fixed  intensity  into  the  man's  face.  "  Not 
for  me,"  she  repeated. 

"  You  must  be  prepared  to  accompany  me,  madame, 
nevertheless,  and  I  trust  you  will  come  at  once,  and 
without  causing  trouble.  We  are  three  to  one,  sir, 
and  fully  armed ;  resistance  will  be  useless,"  he  added 
to  me. 

"  If  you  were  thirty  to  one  I  would  not  give  way 
unless  you  produced  your  authority,"  I  answered,  my 
blood  beginning  to  heat  under  his  manner  and  tone. 

"  I  ask  you  for  the  last  time,  madame,  to  come  with 
me,"  and,  with  a  sign  to  the  others,  he  made  ready  to 
attack  me. 

"  Aye,  for  the  last  time,"  said  my  companion,  be- 
tween her  teeth,  and  before  I  could  guess  her  inten- 
tion, she  gave  a  startling  proof  of  her  desperate  resource 
and  deadly  recklessness. 

With  a  suddenness  that  took  me  entirely  by  surprise, 
she  snatched  the  revolver  from  me,  and  levelling  it  with 
quick  aim,  she  fired  two  shots  in  rapid  succession  with 
deadly  effect,  for  the  two  men  standing  near  us  fell 
dead  at  our  feet,  shot  through  the  head.  The  third, 
who  had  kept  near  the  door,  with  a  coward's  prudence, 


20  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

took  to  his  heels  incontinently,  and  left  us  alone  with 
the  dead. 

"  Good  God  !  what  have  you  done  ?  "  I  cried,  aghast 
at  her  deed.  "  These  men  were  soldiers." 

She  laughed  into  my  scared  face. 

"You  don't  suppose  death  counts  for  much  in  this 
country.  This  is  only  spy  carrion,"  and  with  the  utmost 
sang-froid  she  stooped  and  rifled  the  pockets  of  the 
dead  leader,  turning  the  body  over  for  the  purpose, 
and  took  from  his  pocket  a  paper  which  she  held  up 
for  me  to  read.  "  I  was  sure  of  it." 

"  What  the  bearer  does  is  by  my  order  and  authority. 
(Signed),  M.  KOLFORT,  General" 

"  General  Kolfort  is  the  implacable  leader  of  the 
Russian  party,  and  that  document  was  my  death  war- 
rant," she  said. 

In  a  moment  I  saw  my  danger,  and  she  read  my 
thought  instantly. 

"  Yes,  you  are  committed,  my  friend  ;  now  you  will 
have  to  join  us,"  and  she  smiled  triumphantly  in  my 
face.  "  I  am  glad." 


CHAPTER   III 

THE    PRINCESS    CHRISTINA 

THE  amazing  turn  which  events  had  taken  through 
the  terrible  act  of  my  companion  filled  me  with  con- 
sternation at  the  possible  effects  to  us  both  ;  and  after 
I  had  satisfied  myself  that  the  two  men  were  dead  and 
so  beyond  help,  I  paced  the  room  in  anxious,  perturbed 
thought. 

She  was  not  in  the  least  perturbed,  and  filled  the 
minutes  by  going  carefully  through  the  leader's  papers 
in  search  of  anything  that  would  tend  to  the  con- 
fusion of  her  enemies.  A  low  exclamation  of  pleasure 
told  me  that,  when  she  found  what  she  sought. 

She  showed  no  jot  or  tittle  of  remorse  at  this  shed- 
ding of  blood.  To  her  the  two  men  were  no  more 
than  a  couple  of  wild  beasts  who  had  attacked  her, 
and  had  been  killed  in  her  self-defence.  She  was  as 
hard  and  callous  as  any  public  executioner  could  have 
been. 

"  See  here  !  "  she  cried  at  length.  "  Here  are  proofs 
enough  of  the  villany,"  and  she  put  papers  into  my 
hand  which  showed  plainly  enough  that  the  whole 
matter  had  been  planned  by  those  high  in  the  Russian 
party.  One  was  no  less  than  a  clear  but  brief  state- 
ment of  instructions.  If  the  first  attempt  at  secret 
assassination  failed,  this  endeavour  by  means  of  a  pre- 
tended arrest  by  men  in  uniform  dressed  to  look  like 
officers  was  to  be  made,  and  the  Countess  was  to  be 

31 


22  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

hurried  to  Tirnova  to  be  dealt  with  there,  should  she 
reach  the  fortress  alive. 

"You  will  need  these  when  the  attempt  is  made  to 
implicate  you.  Yours  is  a  deadly  sin — to  have  come 
between  Kolfort  and  his  vengeance — and  you  will 
need  all  your  wits  to  get  out  of  it  with  your  life, 
even  with  these  papers,  unless  you  throw  yourself 
under  the  protection  of  the  Prince  and  his  party.  As 
I  said,  you  will  have  to  join  us  now,  Count." 

"  I  shall  still  take  time  to  consider,"  I  answered 
rather  shortly.  "  You  have  given  me  plenty  of  food  for 
thought.  But  now,  what  of  your  immediate  safety? 
You  cannot  stay  here." 

"Nor  you,  either.  You  let  the  third  man  escape, 
and  by  this  time  he  is  carrying  his  news  of  failure  with 
feet  winged  with  fear.  I  have  done  with  this  carrion," 
and  she  cast  a  look  of  repugnance  at  the  dead  men, 
and  turning  away,  resumed  her  cloak  with  great  haste. 
"You  will  not  decide  now?"  she  asked,  as  she  was 
ready  to  go. 

"  No,  I  must  have  time.  But  where  will  you  go 
now?" 

"  I  shall  communicate  with  you.  You  will  be  a 
marked  man  from  this  hour,  and  easy  to  find,"  she  said 
significantly  ;  "  and  if  you  are  in  danger  sooner  than  you 
expect,  do  not  hesitate  to  let  me  know.  Our  next 
meeting  will  be  in  the  Prince's  palace,  and  the  sooner 
the  better." 

"Where  will  you  go  now?"  I  repeated. 

"  Do  not  fear  for  me.  You  will  need  all  your  efforts 
to  save  your  own  skin.  Come !  "  She  left  the  light 
burning,  and  led  the  way  out  of  the  house  by  a  back 
entrance  that  opened  on  to  a  narrow  alley,  along  which 
we  hurried, 


THE  PRINCESS  CHRISTINA  23 

"  I  will  see  you  safe  to  your  home,"  I  said,  when  she 
stopped  at  the  mouth  of  it  and  held  out  her  hand. 
She  smiled. 

"  No,  no,  I  am  in  no  danger;  but  for  you,  take  this 
path  as  far  as  it  goes,  turn  sharp  to  the  right  until  you 
come  to  an  avenue  of  trees,  and  at  the  bottom  of  that 
you  will  know  where  you  are.  Good-night,  Count ! 
and  once  more  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  for  your 
service.  But  we  shall  both  live  to  see  my  thanks  in  an 
alliance  that  will  do  great  things  for  the  Prince  and  for 
Bulgaria." 

She  gave  me  her  hand,  and  though  I  pressed  her  to 
let  me  see  her  safely  across  the  city,  she  would  not,  but 
put  me  on  my  honour  not  to  follow  her,  and  turning, 
sped  away,  keeping  in  the  shadow,  and  going  at  such  a 
speed  that  she  was  soon  out  of  my  sight. 

Then  I  followed  the  way  she  had  told  me,  and  found 
myself  close  to  the  street  in  which  my  hotel  was  situ- 
ated. I  walked  slowly  from  that  point,  my  brain  in  a 
whirl  of  excitement  at  all  that  had  happened  in  the 
crowded  hours  of  that  night. 

When  I  reached  my  hotel  it  was  only  to  pace  my 
room  in  restless,  anxious,  brain-racking  thought  of  the 
net  of  complications  in  which  I  found  myself  involved, 
and  the  hundred  dangers  which  appeared  to  have 
sprung  up  suddenly  to  menace  me.  It  was  in  vain  that 
I  threw  myself  on  my  bed.  I  could  not  sleep.  If  I 
dozed,  it  was  only  to  start  up  at  the  bidding  of  some 
dream  danger,  threatening  me  with  I  know  not  what 
consequences.  It  was  long  past  the  dawn  before  I 
slept,  and  when  the  servant  called  me,  I  sprang  up, 
thinking  it  was  my  instant  arrest  that  was  intended. 

But  my  wits  were  cooler  and  more  collected  for  the 
rest,  and  when  hour  after  hour  of  the  anxious  day 


24  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

passed  and  nothing  happened,  I  began  to  think  I  had 
exaggerated  the  risks  of  my  position. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening  I  rode  out,  and  on  my 
return  ventured  to  find  out  and  pass  through  the  street 
of  the  previous  night's  adventure.  Nothing  unusual 
was  astir.  No  one  paid  the  least  heed  to  me.  I  might 
have  been  an  ordinary  tourist  without  the  least  in- 
terest in  anything  but  the  scenery.  So  it  was  at  my 
hotel.  Nothing  happened  that  evening  nor  on  any  of 
the  three  remaining  days  of  the  week,  and  I  occupied 
myself  with  the  business  of  preparing  the  large  house 
which  I  had  taken  for  my  residence. 

Yet,  even  the  lack  of  any  consequences  to  me  had  a 
grim  significance.  It  seemed  a  fearsome  thing,  indeed, 
that  murder  could  be  attempted  openly,  and  two  of 
the  would-be  assassins  shot  dead  in  the  effort,  and  yet 
the  life  of  the  city  flow  on  without  the  least  interrup- 
tion, and,  as  it  appeared,  with  never  a  person  to  ask  a 
question  about  them  or  show  the  faintest  interest  in  the 
event.  Truly,  as  my  strange  companion  in  the  adven- 
ture had  said,  death  counted  for  little  in  the  grim  game 
of  intrigue  that  was  being  played  in  the  country. 

I  had  provided  myself  with  a  few  letters  of  introduc- 
tion, and,  knowing  the  average  poverty  of  the  people 
and  the  high  esteem  set  on  riches,  I  had  dropped  a 
number  of  judicious  hints  that  I  was  a  man  of  consid- 
erable wealth.  I  had  taken  the  largest  house  I  could 
find  in  the  city,  and  by  these  means  had  opened  a  way 
into  a  certain  section  of  society.  It  had  been  my 
original  intention  to  use  such  opportunities  as  would 
thus  be  afforded  to  carry  out  my  original  intention; 
But  the  adventure  with  the  Countess  Bokara  would 
render  this  less  necessary  should  I  resolve  to  accept 
the  offer  of  close  service  with  the  Prince  which  she  had 


THE  PRINCESS  CHRISTINA  25 

made  me ;  and  the  few  guarded  inquiries  I  was  able  to 
make  as  to  her  influence  confirmed  completely  my 
previous  belief  in  her  power  to  fulfil  all  she  had 
promised. 

Several  days  passed,  and  I  was  in  this  condition  of 
comparative  uncertainty  when,  toward  the  close  of  the 
week  following  my  adventure,  an  incident  occurred 
which  gave  me  startling  proof  that,  for  all  the  apparent 
quietude,  I  myself  was,  as  she  had  declared,  a  marked 
man. 

I  was  sitting  alone  in  a  cafe  one  evening,  my  friends 
having  left  me,  when  my  attention  was  attracted  to  the 
movements  of  three  men,  two  being  in  uniform,  at  a 
table  in  a  far  corner  of  the  place.  They  were  busily 
occupied  over  some  papers,  and  a  constant  succession 
of  men  kept  coming  to  them,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  for 
some  kind  of  instructions.  As  business  was  constantly 
transacted  in  this  way  at  the  caf/s,  I  had  at  first  no 
more  than  a  feeling  of  idle  curiosity  ;  but  when  the 
thing  had  continued  for  an  hour  or  more,  my  interest 
deepened,  and  I  watched  them  closely,  although,  as  I 
thought,  unobserved  by  them. 

At  length  a  message  was  given  them  which  appeared 
to  cause  great  surprise,  and  they  paid  their  score  and 
hurried  out  of  the  place. 

I  followed  them,  still  impelled  mainly  by  curiosity  ; 
and  as  they  were  engrossed  in  conversation,  talking 
and  gesticulating,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  them 
in  sight  as  they  passed  through  several  streets,  and  at 
length  entered  a  large  house  which  filled  one  side  of  a 
small  quadrangle,  close  on  the  street. 

I  stood  awhile  at  the  corner,  scanning  the  house 
curiously,  and  made  a  mental  note  to  ascertain  to 
whom  it  belonged,  and  was  in  the  act  of  turning  away 


26  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

to  retrace  my  steps  to  my  hotel,  when  a  man  came  out 
of  the  house,  glanced  about  him  as  though  in  some 
doubt,  and  then  looked  closely  at  me.  He  walked  to 
the  corner  of  the  street  opposite,  still  looking  at  me, 
and  after  a  minute  of  doubt,  crossed  to  me. 

"  I  am  to  give  you  this,  sir,"  he  said,  speaking  with 
the  manner  of  a  confidential  servant. 

"  To  me?     I  think  not.     What  name?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  had  no  name  given  to  me,  but  I  was  to  say  it  was 
'  In  the  Name  of  a  Woman  !  ' 

"'In  the  Name  of  a  Woman?"'  I  repeated.  It 
could  not  be  for  me.  I  knew  no  such  pass-word,  and  I 
connected  it  instantly  with  what  I  had  seen  at  the 
cafe.  I  was  about  to  send  the  man  away,  when  it 
occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  a  message  from  the 
Countess  Bokara,  and  that,  from  a  love  of  mystery,  she 
had  chosen  this  exceedingly  ambiguous  method  of  com- 
munication. I  took  the  letter  which  the  man  held  out, 
therefore,  and  read  a  message  written  in  a  woman's 
handwriting : — 

"  Follow  the  Bearer, 

In  the  Name  of  a  Woman." 

I  was  disposed  to  smile,  but  checked  myself  on  see- 
ing the  servant's  eyes  fixed  upon  me. 

"  I  am  to  follow  you,"  I  said  gravely. 

Without  a  word  he  led  the  way  back  to  the  house, 
through  the  deep  gloomy  archway,  in  which  I  noticed 
a  number  of  servants  and  others  lounging  and  waiting, 
and  up  three  or  four  steps  into  the  house.  Turning  to 
make  sure  that  I  was  behind  him,  the  man  crossed  a 
hall,  in  which  were  more  men,  some  in  uniform,  through 
a  curtained  archway  at  the  end,  and  up  a  broad  stair. 


THE  PRINCESS  CHRISTINA  27 

way  on  to  a  wide  landing-place  until  he  paused  before 
a  large  dark  oak  door.  He  opened  this  quietly  and 
stood  aside  for  me  to  enter. 

As  I  did  so,  some  words  came  to  my  ears  that  were 
certainly  not  intended  for  a  stranger  to  hear. 

"  Curse  the  business.  I  am  sick  of  the  place.  The 
sooner  this  thing's  over  and  Christina  is  on  the  throne 
and  married  to  Sergius,  the  sooner  we  shall  be  back  in 
Moscow  and  out  of  this  beastly  hole." 

The  voice  was  loud  and  strident,  and  the  language 
Russian  ;  and  the  speaker,  a  young  red-haired  man,  in 
an  officer's  uniform,  laughed  noisily.  I  was  in  the  room 
before  the  sentence  ended,  but  I  came  to  an  abrupt 
halt  in  my  surprise,  and  perceiving  at  once  the  mistake 
that  had  been  made,  I  half  turned  to  leave  the  room 
again.  But  the  man  who  had  brought  me  had  already 
closed  the  door. 

My  surprise  was  not  one  whit  greater  than  that  of 
the  three  men  in  the  room,  however,  who  were  standing 
together  by  a  table  with  their  backs  to  the  door,  and 
not  having  heard  it  open,  did  not  know  I  was  there 
till  the  officer  who  had  spoken  turned  round. 

"Hullo!  who  the  devil's  this?"  he  exclaimed. 
"  What  do  you  want,  sir  ?  "  and  I  saw  his  hand  go  to 
his  sword  hilt. 

His  companions  turned  quickly  on  hearing  him,  and 
stared  at  me  with  evident  amazement. 

"  Be  quiet,  Marx,"  said  one  of  them  in  Russian,  a 
much  older  man,  and  apparently  in  command.  Then 
in  Bulgarian  to  me,  "  May  I  ask  your  business,  sir?  " 

"  On  my  word,  I  know  no  more  than  yourself,"  I 
answered,  keeping  my  eye  on  the  red-haired  man 
whose  threatening  looks  I  did  not  at  all  like.  "  I  am 
here  '  In  the  Name  of  a  Woman,'  I  presume.  A  mes- 


28  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

senger  accosted  me  a  few  minutes  since  in  the  street 
close  by  and  gave  me  a  written  message  to  follow  him. 
He  brought  me  here — and  that's  all  I  know." 

"  A  cool  devil,  on  my  word,"  exclaimed  the  red- 
headed man,  and  whispered  something  to  the  third 
which  I  could  not  catch. 

"  There  has  seemingly  been  some  mistake,"  said  the 
elder  man  suavely.  "  You  have  not  been  long  in  the 
room,  sir?  " 

"  Certainly  not,  the  door  has  but  barely  closed." 

"  You  are  too  much  of  a  gentleman,  of  course,  to 
intrude  yourself  upon  us  unannounced  and  listen  to 
our  private  conversation."  There  was  an  ominous 
suggestion  of  threat  in  the  words,  and  behind  them  I 
could  detect  not  a  little  anxiety  and  embarrassment. 

One  of  the  other  officers  gave  a  little  sneering 
laugh. 

"  You  wish  to  know  whether  I  have  overheard  any- 
thing? I  speak  Russian,  and  as  I  entered  I  could  not 
help  hearing  what  was  being  said." 

A  look  of  concern  showed  on  all  three  faces  as  I 
spoke. 

"  You  will  have  the  goodness  to  repeat  what  you 
overheard,"  said  the  elder  man,  his  voice  hardening 
and  deepening. 

I  repeated  in  Russian  almost  word  for  word  what 
had  been  said,  and  the  man  whose  unguarded  words  I 
had  overheard  turned  very  white. 

An  embarrassing  silence  followed. 

"  And  what  meaning  do  you  attach  to  the  words, 
sir?" 

"  I  do  not  see  that  they  concern  me,  or  that  I  am 
called  upon  to  give  any  explanation,"  I  answered 
coolly. 


THE  PRINCESS  CHRISTINA  29 

"  By  God  !  you  shall  answer,"  broke  in  impetuously 
and  passionately  the  red-haired  man,  as  he  made  a 
couple  of  strides  toward  me. 

His  superior  frowned  upon  him  and  muttered  a  word 
of  caution. 

I  began  to  feel  glad  that  I  had  brought  my  sword- 
stick  with  me. 

"  One  moment ;  excuse  me,"  said  the  elder  man, 
whose  great  uneasiness  was  now  very  manifest,  and 
the  three  held  a  hurried  consultation,  in  which  I  could 
see  the  red-haired  man  urging  some  plan  from  which 
the  elder  strongly  dissented.  Then  the  latter  turned 
again  to  me. 

"  I  must  press  you  to  answer  my  question,  sir,"  he 
said. 

"  The  words  could  have  only  one  possible  meaning," 
I  replied,  seeing  no  use  in  equivocation.  "  The  hope 
was  expressed  that  Christina,  presumably  the  Princess 
of  Orli,  would  soon  be  on  the  throne  and  married  to 
the  Duke  Sergius,  in  order  that  the  speaker  might 
be  free  to  return  to  Moscow."  I  spoke  very  deliber- 
ately. 

"  I  told  you  so.  The  fellow  may  be  a  spy  and  can't 
go  free  after  that,"  exclaimed  the  fiery  officer.  "  Have 
up  the  men  at  once  and  let  him  be  secured  until  we 
find  out  all  about  him,"  and  he  went  to  the  bell-pull  to 
summon  the  servants  or  more  probably  soldiers. 

My  next  act  surprised  him  and  stayed  his  hand, 
however.  I  had  observed  a  couple  of  heavy  bolts  on 
the  door,  and  thinking  that  I  had  better  have  three 
men  to  deal  with  than  thirty,  I  shot  them  into  their 
sockets,  and  setting  my  back  to  the  door,  said  shortly : 

"  There  should  be  nothing  in  this  which  we  cannot 
settle  amongst  ourselves,  gentlemen,  and  with  your 


30  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

permission  I  prefer  to  have  no  one  else  here  until  it  is 
settled." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  two  younger  men.  They 
drew  their  swords  at  once  and  came  toward  me. 

"  You  will  stand  aside  from  that  door  at  once,  or 
take  the  consequences,"  said  the  red-haired  man. 

My  answer  was  to  whip  my  sword  from  the  stick 
and  put  myself  on  the  defensive.  The  door  stood  in 
an  angle  of  the  room,  excellently  placed  for  my  pur- 
pose, as  my  two  opponents  would  be  much  hampered 
in  attacking  me  together,  and  I  was  not  afraid  of  what 
either  could  do  single-handed. 

Their  anger  at  my  resistance  made  them  deaf  to  the 
protests  and  expostulations  of  their  superior.  The 
red  man  was  the  first  to  cross  swords,  and  he  was  so 
indifferent  a  swordsman  that  I  could  have  disabled 
him  had  not  the  second  perceived  his  inferiority  and 
made  at  me  in  his  turn. 

A  very  pretty  fight  followed,  but  infinitely  perilous 
to  me.  Even  if  I  were  successful  I  could  not  see  how 
possibly  to  escape  from  the  house,  which  as  I  knew 
was  swarming  with  men.  But  I  went  to  work  with  a 
will,  and  soon  had  cause  to  thank  the  advantage  I 
gained  owing  to  the  position  of  the  door. 

The  object  of  the  less  furious  of  the  two  was  rather  to 
disarm  than  to  wound,  and  I  noticed  that  he  neglected 
more  than  one  opportunity  of  wounding  me.  The 
other  was  a  hot-headed  fool,  however,  and  was  obviously 
dead  bent  on  killing  me  ;  but  a  couple  of  minutes  later 
I  had  an  excellent  chance  of  settling  matters  with  him. 
He  was  fighting  in  a  furious,  haphazard,  reckless  fash- 
ion, when  the  second  man  stumbled  from  some  cause 
and  was  out  of  the  fray  for  several  passes.  I  made 
the  most  of  the  respite,  and  pressing  the  fight  to  the 


THE  PRINCESS  CHRISTINA  31 

utmost,  I  ran  my  assailant  through  the  sword  arm,  in- 
flicting a  wound  which  caused  him  to  drop  his  sword. 
I  kicked  it  behind  me,  and  was  thus  free  to  devote  my 
whole  attention  to  my  other  assailant. 

I  was  cleverer  with  the  weapon  than  he,  as  I  per- 
ceived to  my  intense  satisfaction,  and  was  considering 
where  I  would  wound  him  and  end  the  fight,  when  my 
luck  turned.  I  trod  by  mischance  on  the  hilt  of  the 
sword  at  my  feet,  stumbled,  and,  unable  to  save  my- 
self, fell  staggering  at  full  length  on  the  floor. 

It  was  all  over,  and  I  gave  myself  up  for  lost,  when  a 
most  unexpected  and  infinitely  welcome  interruption 
came. 

A  door  at  the  other  end  of  the  room,  which  was  hid- 
den by  the  curtains  and  tapestries  that  covered  the 
walls,  opened,  and  I  heard  a  woman's  soft  clear  voice, 
in  which  vibrated  a  note  of  indignation  and  anger, 
exclaim : 

"  Gentlemen,  what  is  this  brawling  ?  " 

The  others  turned  at  the  sound  of  the  voice,  and  I 
scrambled  to  my  feet  in  an  instant,  gripped  my  weapon 
again,  and  was  once  more  ready  against  attack  ;  though 
I  stared  with  all  my  eyes  at  the  lovely  face  of  the 
queenly  woman  who  had  entered. 

"  Put  up  your  swords,  gentlemen,  instantly ! "  she 
said ;  and  in  obedience  the  man  who  still  had  his 
weapon  sheathed  it  and  fell  back  abashed  behind  his 
superior  officer. 

Intuitively  I  recognised  the  Princess  Christina. 


CHAPTER  IV 

"  THE   WEB   IS   WIDE,   THE    MESHES  HARD  TO  BREAK  " 

"  As  beautiful  as  an  angel,  and  with  the  heart  of  a 
vampire." 

This  bitter  description  rushed  to  my  thoughts  as  I 
gazed  at  the  Princess  Christina.  Surely  never  had 
treachery,  cruelty,  and  ambition  a  fairer  guise  than 
hers,  if  treacherous  and  cruel  she  could  be. 

But  the  thought  started  another  suspicion.  Had  this 
scene  all  been  planned  by  her  to  catch  me  in  the  toils  ? 
It  was  a  dramatic  enough  entrance  for  me  into  her 
circle,  and  certainly  clever.  It  had  been  made  to  ap- 
pear as  if  I  had  forced  my  way  into  the  house,  had 
overheard  a  compromising  secret,  had  had  my  very  life 
placed  in  danger,  and  then  at  the  critical  moment  it 
was  to  her  coming  I  owed  my  safety.  If  this  were  so, 
I  could  understand  why  the  less  hot-headed  of  my  two 
assailants  had  first  rushed  to  the  assistance  of  his  com- 
rade, but  had  then  refrained  from  pressing  the  advan- 
tage of  the  odds  against  me  in  the  fight,  and  had  not 
attempted  even  to  wound  me. 

Could  that  lovely,  ingenuous-looking  woman  have 
laid  such  a  scheme,  and  then  have  carried  it  out  with 
such  shrewd  stage-management,  putting  that  little  ring 
of  anger  into  her  voice  at  all  the  clatter  of  the  fight  ? 

If  so  the  danger  that  had  seemed  to  threaten  me 
had  never  existed,  and  I  might  as  well  do  as  she  bade, 
and  put  up  the  sword  which  had  never  been  needed  in 
32 


"THE  WEB  IS  WIDE"  33 

earnest.     With  a  smile  at  the  notion  I  sheathed  it,  and 
waited  for  the  next  development  of  the  comedy. 

Yet  the  anger  in  her  eyes  seemed  sincere  enough,  and 
if  she  was  only  acting  she  understood  her  business  well ; 
for  the  indignation  on  her  face  and  the  liquid  notes 
of  her  perfect  voice  moved  me  to  regret  even  my  share 
in  the  fracas,  though  it  had  been  none  of  my  seeking. 

"  Major  Zankoff,  have  you  such  poor  command  of 
your  subordinates  that  they  must  seek  to  shed  blood 
almost  in  my  very  presence?"  At  the  rebuke  the 
eldest  of  the  three  men  winced  and  bit  his  lip,  but 
made  no  reply  except  a  bow.  "  You  know  my  will, 
sir!"  she  continued,  with  the  mien  of  an  empress; 
"  and  any  repetition  of  this  forgetfulness  will  find  me 
deeply  angered  even  against  you." 

"  Madame,  I  am  already  punished,"  replied  the  ma- 
jor, with  the  bow  of  a  courtier  and  the  shrewdness  of 
a  diplomat. 

"  As  for  you,  gentlemen,"  she  said,  turning  to  the 
other  two,  "  I  shall  use  my  influence  to  see  that  you 
are  relieved  from  duties  which  you  must  surely  find 
irksome,  since  you  seek  relaxation  in  this  cut  and 
thrust  work.  Be  good  enough  to  leave  me." 

This  was  a  somewhat  embarrassing  request,  for  I  was 
by  the  door,  and  still  held  my  foot  on  the  fallen  sword. 
I  was  not  disposed  to  have  the  door  open  lest  others 
should  be  brought  in,  and  they  were  not  willing  that  I 
should  have  a  chance  of  escape,  carrying  their  secret 
with  me.  The  three  exchanged  looks,  and  then  the 
major  came  to  the  rescue. 

"  There  is  a  matter  that  needs  explanation  to  you, 
madame —  "  he  began,  when  she  cut  him  short. 

"  I   will  hear  nothing,   Major  Zankoff,    until  these 
gentlemen  have  left  me." 
3 


34  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

Another  embarrassing  pause  followed,  in  which  she 
let  her  eyes  glance  toward  me  and  rest  a  moment  on 
my  face,  with  an  effect  I  cannot  describe.  In  an  in- 
stant  it  seemed  as  if  all  my  doubts  of  her  sincerity 
dropped  from  me  like  a  cloak.  I  felt  absolutely  as- 
sured, not  only  of  her  purity  and  truth,  but  of  my  own 
complete  safety  in  trusting  her,  and  with  an  impulse 
that  was  as  irresistible  as  it  was  instantaneous,  I  cut 
the  knot  of  the  difficulty. 

I  picked  up  the  fallen  sword,  left  my  place  by  the 
door,  and  handed  it  back  to  the  owner. 

He  flashed  a  curse  at  me  out  of  his  eyes  that  I  should 
have  been  the  cause  and  witness  of  his  humiliation, 
and  muttered  in  a  tone  too  low  to  reach  other  ears 
than  mine,  as  he  bent  his  head  in  sheathing  the 
weapon : 

"  I  will  find  you  out,  sir." 

"Count  Benderoff,  Hotel de  1'Europe,"  I  whispered, 
meeting  his  look  with  one  as  stern  as  his  own,  and 
then  stood  aside  for  him  and  his  companion  to  pass 
out  of  the  room. 

The  Princess  waited  in  silence  until  the  door  had 
closed  behind  them,  and  then  addressed  me : 

"  Why  have  you  come  to  bring  your  quarrels  here, 
sir  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  can  best  explain "  began  Major 

Zankoff. 

"  I  have  asked  this  gentleman  for  his  explanation, 
Major,"  she  broke  in,  and  I  liked  her  calm  assertion 
of  authority. 

"  I  have  brought  no  quarrel  here,  Madame,"  and  I 
explained  very  briefly  the  facts  up  to  the  moment  of 
her  entrance. 

She  bent  her  dark  eyes  on  me  during  the  recital,  and 


"THE  WEB  IS  WIDE"  35 

gradually  the  colour  of  her  cheeks  deepened,  until  at 
the  close,  with  a  flush  of  indignation  and  anger,  she 
cried  : 

"  You  have  been  shamefully  treated,  sir — shamefully 
and  outrageously.  Because  by  chance  some  hot- 
headed idler  cannot  keep  his  tongue  still,  but  must 
blab  of  matters  he  does  not  understand,  shall  murder 
be  attempted  ?  Major  Zankoff,  what  had  this  gentle- 
man done  that  you  should  sanction  this  atrocious  act  ? 
We  owe  you  an  ample  apology,  sir;  and  I,  the  Prin- 
cess Christina  of  Orli  " — drawing  herself  to  her  full 
height — "tender  it  to  you.  I  do  not  ask  your  name. 
I  ask  nothing,  but  only  tell  you  I  am  profoundly  sorry 
and  deeply  grieved  that  this  should  have  occurred. 
Major  Zankoff,  it  is  my  express  wish  that  you  will  see 
this  gentleman  safely  out  of  the  house,  and  conduct 
him  to  any  part  of  the  city  he  desires.  His  safety  will 
be  your  personal  charge." 

And  with  this  she  swept  across  the  room  and  herself 
held  open  the  door  for  me  to  leave. 

Her  beauty  and  grace,  and,  much  more,  the  in- 
stinctive justice  of  her  act  and  implied  trust  in  my 
honour,  conquered  me.  I  did  not  wish  to  leave  her, 
and  lingered  gazing  at  her  in  admiration.  This  was 
the  Countess  Bokara's  vampire.  If  this  was  how  she 
gained  her  victims,  I,  at  any  rate,  was  ready  to  be  one 
of  them.  As  we  stood  thus,  she  holding  the  door  and 
I  unwilling  to  go,  our  eyes  met,  and  I  was  filled  with 
one  consuming,  burning  impulse  to  serve  her. 

Then  came  an  interruption,  which  I  for  one  wel- 
comed profoundly. 

An  old  man,  in  the  uniform  of  a  high  Russian  offi- 
cer, entered  through  the  door  which  she  had  used,  and 
in  a  high-pitched  voice  said  sharply : 


36  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  This  is  a  somewhat  unusual  scene.  What  does  it 
mean  ?  " 

I  was  watching  the  Princess  closely,  and  saw  an  ex- 
pression of  some  disconcertment  and  alarm  rush  into 
her  eyes,  to  be  as  quickly  forced  down  and  followed 
by  what  I  half  dared  to  hope  was  a  look  of  solicitude 
on  my  account.  The  eyes  seemed  to  beg  me  to  leave 
while  the  way  was  still  open. 

But  .1  would  not  have  gone  for  a  fortune.  I  was 
ten  thousand  times  more  eager  to  stay. 

Major  Zankoff  gave  an  expressive  shrug  of  the  shoul- 
ders as  he  said  in  reply  to  the  question :  "  There  has 
been  a  little  misunderstanding,  General." 

The  small,  alert,  piercing  eyes  seemed  to  take  in  the 
situation  at  one  sweeping  glance  that  dwelt  lastly  on 
my  face. 

"  Princess,  can  I  have  a  word  with  you  ?  Major 
Zankoff,  close  the  door  and  guard  it.  We  want  no 
one  in — or  out,"  he  let  the  last  two  words  drop  from 
his  lips  as  though  they  were  an  after-thought  and  not 
intended  to  be  spoken  aloud. 

"  I  am  telling  this  gentleman  that  he  is  at  liberty  to 
leave  here,  General,"  she  answered,  lifting  her  head 
with  what  I  read  as  an  intentional  assertion  of  author- 
ity, not  made,  however,  without  an  effort. 

"  Very  good  of  you,  very  good  indeed,"  he  replied 
drily.  "  But  as  the  gentleman  does  not  seem  disposed 
to  go,  suppose  we  close  the  door.  There  is  a  draught 
for  one  thing,  and  pretty  situations  should  never  be 
strained.  Besides,  I  wish  to  have  a  word  with  him 
myself." 

My  wits  had  been  somewhat  mazed  by  the  unex- 
pected character  of  the  meeting  with  the  Princess  and 
the  whirl  of  strange  and  disturbing  thoughts  which  she 


"THE  WEB  IS  WIDE"  37 

had  started,  but  these  last  words  of  the  old  soldiei 
recalled  me  to  myself  quickly  enough. 

"  With  me  ?  "  I  said  in  surprise. 

"Certainly,  with  you,"  he  answered  sharply. 

The  suggestion  of  solicitude  for  me  still  lingered  on 
the  Princess's  face  as  she  left  the  door  and  went  to  the 
old  man. 

"  I  have  passed  my  word  for  his  safety,  General," 
and  she  looked  meaningly  at  him. 

"  Do  I  look  so  fierce  and  terrible  an  object,  madame, 
that  the  gentleman  will  be  afraid  to  trust  himself  alone 
with  me,  think  you  ?  " 

"  I  have  passed  my  word  for  his  safety,"  she  repeat- 
ed, and  turning  to  me,  she  added,  "You  may  depend 
upon  that,  sir,"  and  as  she  left  the  room  she  gave  me  a 
look  from  her  glorious  eyes  which  seemed  to  say  much 
more  than  even  her  words. 

The  old  soldier  smiled  sardonically,  and  bowed  low 
to  her  as  she  passed  him. 

"  Umph !  And  now,  sir,  will  you  come  with  me ;  or 
are  you,  as  madame  was  disposed  to  think,  afraid  to 
trust  yourself  with  me?  Zankoff,  I  do  not  wish  to  be 
disturbed,"  he  said  abruptly  to  the  Major. 

He  led  me  to  a  room  beyond  and  motioned 
me  to  a  chair,  near  the  table  at  which  he  seated  him- 
self. 

"  You  know,  I  presume,  where  you  are,  who  I  am, 
and  who  that  is  we  have  just  left ! "  he  began. 

"  I  do  not  know  all,  but  I  can  make  a  shrewd  guess. 
She  is  the  Princess  Christina ;  you,  I  presume,  General 
Kolfort,  and  this  house,  either  yours  or  hers." 

"As  you  say,  a  very  shrewd  guess — even  for  one 
known  to  have  such  quick  wits  as  the  Count  Benderoff, 
of  Radova."  He  intended  to  surprise  me,  as  indeed 


38  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

he  did,  by  the  mention  of  my  name ;  but  I  showed  no 
sign  of  this,  although  he  looked  for  it. 

"  Why  did  you  force  your  way  in  here — unless,  in- 
deed, you  had  an  object  which  I  shall  only  be  too  glad 
to  welcome?" 

"  I  will  make  another  guess,"  I  answered.  "  I  came 
through  your  own  contriving,  General ;  "  and  this  time 
it  was  he,  not  I,  who  had  to  conceal  surprise — for  my 
guess  was  right. 

He  looked  at  me  and  nodded  his  head. 

"  It  is  my  businessto  know  all  newcomers  to  Sofia," 
he  said.  "And  you  are  too  notable  and  have  started 
too  much  comment  for  me  not  to  know  of  you.  My 
agents  serve  me  well,  and  I  thought  it  was  full  time 
for  you  to  declare  yourself.  There  are  only  two 
courses  open  to  a  man  making  a  career  in  this  country, 
as  you  have  said  you  intend  to  do.  Only  two  sides', 
one  of  which  a  man  must  take.  You  must  be  either 
for  or  against  the  interests  of  Russia — which  is  it  to 
be?" 

This  was  plain  talking  in  all  truth. 

"  I  have  been  in  the  country  too  short  a  time  to 
have  weighed  the  considerations  which  must  determine 
me." 

"  Good  ;  evasive  but  politic,  though  not,  of  course, 
convincing." 

"Yet  true,"  said  I  shortly. 

"  Very  well.  We'll  take  it  at  that ;  "  and  he  looked 
at  me  as  if  he  were  pondering  carefully  the  arguments 
he  should  use  to  convince  and  win  me.  "Yet  you've 
not  been  quite  inactive,  have  you,  although  here  so 
short  a  time?" 

"  You  mean ?  " 

"  What  should  I  mean  ?  "  he  asked,  throwing  up  his 


"THE  WEB  IS  WIDE"  39 

hands  with  an  indifference  that  was  belied  by  the  sharp 
glint  of  his  eyes. 

Did  he  know  of  that  night  adventure,  after  all?  If 
so,  I  had  indeed  walked  into  the  spider's  web. 

"  No,  I  have  not  been  inactive,  certainly  not,"  I 
answered  carelessly.  "  I  have  had  to  find  a  house 
suitable  for  my  position  and  my  means.  I  am  a  man 
of  some  wealth,  and  the  work  has  taken  time  and  care." 

"  No  doubt.  But  I  did  not  mean  that  kind  of  ac- 
tivity, Count.  My  sources  of  information  are  many — 
and  secret.  Few  things  are  done  in  Sofia  without  my 
knowing  them,  as  well  as  those  who  do  them." 

"  Through  your  spies,  you  mean  ?  " 

He  waved  the  term  aside  and  passed  over  the  ques- 
tion. 

"  We  have  had  an  accident  lately,  rather  an  awkward 
affair,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  a  couple  of  our 
agents ;  but  a  third  escaped  and  tells  a  strange  story. 
Even  your  short  acquaintance  with  Bulgarian  affairs 
will  tell  you  that  the  consequences  may  be  serious  for 
those  concerned  in  their  death." 

"  I  can  understand  that.  But  with  what  object  do 
you  make  me  the  recipient  of  such  a  confidence?"  I 
asked  coolly. 

"You  have  made  some  shrewd  guesses  during 
our  talk;  I  will  leave  you  to  make  another  in  that 
matter.  It  may  be  only  a  parable ;  or,  on  the  con- 
trary, a  matter  of  life  or  death  for  those  concerned. 
In  any  case,  the  person  concerned  is  known  to  me." 
The  threat  was  conveyed  with  unmistakable  signifi- 
cance. I  understood  him  well  enough,  and  he  knew 
that  I  did  ;  but  I  answered  lightly  : 

"  I  don't  see  that  this  affects  me." 

"  I  hope  with   all  my  heart  that   it  never  will,"  he 


40  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

\ 

said    quickly,  "  for   nothing   would    please    me  better 
than  to  have  you  enrolled  on  our  side  !  " 

He  paused  to  let  this,  his  first  argument — an  appeal 
to  my  fears — have  due  weight,  and  watched  me  keenly 
to  note  results.  Apparently  he  was  not  too  well 
satisfied  with  them. 

"  You  have  probably  asked  yourself  why  I  am  anx- 
ious, as  I  confess  I  am,  that  you  should  be  with  us, 
and  yet  if  you  reflect  you  will  readily  understand  the 
reason.  I  have  told  you  that  there  are  but  two  courses 
open  to  a  man  who  mixes  in  politics  here.  He  must 
take  a  side.  There  is  no  possible  alternative — no  pos- 
sible alternative.  Well,  I  know  much  about  you — 
more  than  you  think,  and  I  do  not  wish  that  a  man 
who  has  shown  such  courage  as  you,  on  other  occasions 
than  to-day,"  he  put  in  meaningly,  "  who  has  those 
parts  of  head  and  heart  that  carry  a  man  far  in  troubled 
times  like  these ;  a  man  wealthy,  daring,  shrewd, 
honorable,  ambitious,  resourceful,  and  bound  to  wield 
influence,  should  enter  the  lists  against  me.  Such  a 
man  must  make  a  leader,  and  these  Bulgars  readily 
follow  when  the  right  man  leads.  It  is  all  against  our 
cause  that  such  qualities  should  be  devoted  to  the 
service  of  a  craven  Prince." 

"  You  speak  with  great  frankness." 

He  smiled  and  raised  his  eyebrows,  giving  a  slight 
toss  of  the  head. 

"  I  can  be  frank  with  perfect  safety.  You  are  in  my 
power,  Count." 

"  I  have  the  word  of  Princess  Christina — 

"  I  do  not  mean  in  this  house,  I  mean  in  this  coun- 
try," he  interposed.  "  If  you  do  not  know  the  reach 
of  my  hands,  it  is  time  you  learnt  it.  No  man  crosses 
this  frontier  without  my  knowledge,  and  no  one  re- 


"THE  WEB  IS  WIDE"  41 

crosses  it  against  my  will.  Do  not  mistake  me  ;  I 
don't  speak  at  random,  nor  am  I  uttering  a  mere  empty 
boast.  I  am  stating  a  plain  fact.  And  the  power 
which  I  wield  you  can  share,  if  you  will." 

It  was  skilfully  turned  and  cleverly  put,  and  for  the 
moment  I  was  silent. 

"  The  web  is  wide,  the  meshes  hard  to  break,  Count ; 
and  I  brought  you  here  that  you  might  see  how  wide 
and  how  hard.  You  were  right  just  now  in  that 
shrewd  guess  of  yours — I  did  bring  you  here.  First, 
for  that  little  dramatic  test  of  your  courage;  next, 
that  you  should  see  for  yourself  the  glorious  woman  in 
whose  cause  we  fight ;  and  lastly,  that  you  should 
understand  the  obstacles  that  lie  in  the  path  of  those 
who  would  oppose  us.  You  say  you  seek  a  career. 
Well —  He  paused  here  and  looked  most  keenly 
at  me  as  he  added,  "  Englishmen  have  done  the 
same  before " 

I  could  not  repress  a  start  of  surprise  at  the  thrust, 
and  he  stopped  to  enjoy  it. 

"  Yes,  Englishmen — and  Roumanians.  But  it  is 
very  rare  for  a  Roumanian  to  combine  the  qualities 
which  distinguish  you,  Count  Benderoff.  You  perhaps 
know  the  English.  If  I  mistake  not,  your  father  was 
an  Englishman,  and  you  may  have  met  a  certain  Hon. 
Gerald  Winthrop.  I  have  such  a  man  in  my  mind 
when  I  speak  to  you." 

I  sat  gnawing  my  lip,  my  brows  knitted  in  thought, 
and  had  no  reply,  while  he  looked  at  me  with  a  smile 
at  my  evident  consternation. 

Then  he  gave  a  sudden  and  unexpected  turn  to  the 
matter. 

Pushing  his  chair  back,  he  rose,  and  said  in  a  frank 
and  apparently  friendly  tone  : 


42  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  I  have  taken  you  by  surprise.  Of  course  I  know 
that,  and  do  not  wish  to  push  the  advantage  unfairly. 
Don't  decide  now.  I  want  your  decision  to  be  delib- 
erate and  the  result  of  judgment,  and  not  mere  em- 
barrassment. I  will  make  you  a  fair  offer.  The  fron- 
tier is  free  for  you  for  three  days — nay,  for  a  week. 
Join  us  within  that  time,  or  let  my  agents  report  tome 
that  you  have  crossed  it.  I  want  your  services  because 
I  value  them,  but  I  do  not  intend  my  enemies  to  have 
them.  If  you  really  wish  to  make  a  career,  I  can  help 
you  as  no  one  else  can.  I  want  no  oaths  ;  they  don't 
bind  me,  and  in~this  place  bind  no  one  beyond  the 
limits  of  self-interest.  If  you  join  us,  you  would  have 
to  be  faithful,  or  your  life  would  be  a  mere  candle- 
flame  to  be  snuffed  out  at  will.  That  is  a  better  guar- 
antee than  any  mere  oaths.  If  you  decide  to  throw  in 
your  lot  with  us,  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  at  any  time. 
If  not,  I  hope  we  shall  not  meet  again."  And  he  held 
out  his  hand. 

I  took  it,  not  over  cordially,  and  left  him,  dismayed, 
perplexed  and  anxious,  but  with  an  appreciation  of  his 
power  keen  enough  to  have  satisfied  even  him. 


CHAPTER    V 

"  SPERNOW  " 

A  NIGHT'S  reflection  brought  but  slight  relief  to  my 
anxiety  and  doubt.  How  that  wily  Russian  general 
had  succeeded  so  easily  and  promptly  in  discovering 
all  about  me,  I  was  at  a  loss  to  guess  ;  nor  was  it  of 
much  profit  to  inquire.  He  had  the  facts,  and  the 
question  was  how  he  would  use  them ;  and  the  first 
gleam  of  an  answer  came  from  a  very  small  thing. 

He  had  offered  me  first  three  days  in  which  to  leave 
the  country,  and  then  had  extended  the  time  to  a 
week.  Why  ?  I  came  to  the  conclusion  at  length 
that  he  had  probably  a  double  reason,  for  he  was  not 
the  man  to  do  anything  without  a  clear  reason.  He 
was  all  against  my  joining  the  party  of  the  Prince, 
and  was  probably  resolved  to  go  to  extreme  lengths 
to  prevent  me.  But  he  knew  also,  though  he  had  been 
crafty  enough  not  to  admit  it  openly,  that  I  was  an 
Englishman  ;  and  that  fact  might  well  embarrass  him 
in  dealing  with  me. 

Any  ill-treatment  of  a  British  subject  at  such  a 
juncture  might  bring  about  just  such  grave  complica- 
tions with  our  Foreign  Office  as  might  imperil  the 
whole  Russian  under-current  policy.  That  was,  there- 
fore, unquestionably  one  of  my  strong  cards  to  play, 
and  I  resolved  to  use  it  promptly. 

I  judged  that  in  all  probability  my  correspondence 
would  be  tampered  with,  and  would,  if  necessary,  pass 

43 


44  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

under  his  own  eyes  ;  so  I  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend  in 
England,  stating  the  fact  plainly  that  I  had  had  an 
interview  with  General  Kolfort,  the  Russian  leader, 
in  which  the  fact  that  I  was  a  British  subject  had  been 
discussed  between  us,  and  added  a  few  words  of  as- 
sumed annoyance  that  this  should  have  happened,  as 
it  might  interfere  with  my  plans  in  making  a  career 
in  Bulgaria.  I  put  in  some  other  general  matter  such 
as  might  be  written  in  a  friendly  letter,  and  finished 
with  a  request  that  my  correspondent  would  send  me 
two  or  three  articles  I  had  left  in  his  care.  This  was 
all  fable,  of  course  ;  but  I  wrote  it  to  make  it  more 
difficult  for  the  General  to  suppress  the  letter.  Then 
I  added  a  postscript,  with  the  usual  sting  in  it. 

"  If  you  get  a  chance,  you  might  drop  a  side  hint  to 
Edwardes,  of  the  Foreign  Office,  that  I  am  here,  and 
known  to  be  English." 

I  sealed  the  letter  with  careful  clumsiness,  so  that 
the  envelope  could  easily  be  opened  without  the  seal 
being  broken,  marked  it  "  Urgent.  Strictly  private," 
and  then  gave  it  to  a  waiter  to  post.  If  I  was  under 
the  surveillance  he  had  suggested,  I  felt  convinced 
that  nothing  more  was  necessary  to  ensure  its  getting 
immediately  into  the  General's  hands.  It  would  at 
least  give  him  food  for  thought. 

Then  as  to  his  second  object.  Why  had  he  given 
me  any  time  at  all?  A  Russian  party,  strong  and 
unscrupulous  enough  to  plan  the  assassination  of  the 
reigning  Prince  himself — as  they  had  done — would 
have  thought  nothing  of  keeping  me,  a  mere  Rouma- 
nian Count  (as  I  told  them  I  was  when  they  had  me 
on  the  previous  evening),  rushing  me  off  incontinently 
to  the  frontier,  and  bidding  me  be  off  about  my  bus- 
iness under  fear  of  a  stray  bullet  should  I  attempt  to 


"  SPERNOW  "  45 

return.  But  he  had  given  me  a  week  to  deliberate, 
and  I  drew  the  inference  that  he  was  really  anxious  to 
have  an  Englishman  on  his  side,  and  that  he  meant  to 
use  the  week  to  bring  strong  inducements  to  bear 
upon  me. 

And  through  all  these  reflections  one  dazzling  re- 
membrance flashed,  as  the  sun  will  flash  through  thin 
foliage  after  a  summer  shower — the  great  steady  glare 
caught  and  reflected  from  a  myriad  drops  on  the  wet, 
dancing  leaves.  It  was  the  memory  of  the  glori- 
ous beauty  of  the  Princess,  with  that  look  of  solicitude 
for  me  and  of  fear  of  the  General  which  I  had  seemed 
to  catch. 

I  had  no  more  desire  to  fly  the  country  than  I  had 
had  to  leave  her  witching  presence,  and  a  thousand 
thoughts  rushed  through  my  mind,  bewildering,  stir- 
ring, fascinating  me,  and  all  urging  me  to  stay  until  I 
had  at  least  probed  the  meaning  of  her  look,  and  deter- 
mined whether  I  could  in  any  way  serve  her.  If  she 

really  stood  in  need  of  a  friend,  how  gladly And 

at  that  point  I  broke  the  thought  with  a  laugh  at  my 
own  silly  conceit.  She  had  a  hundred,  aye,  a  thousand 
men  at  her  command.  And  I  was  a  fool. 

But  I  would  not  leave  the  country  if  I  could  help  it, 
and  I  ordered  a  horse  and  rode  out,  first  to  see  how 
nearly  my  house  was  ready,  and  then  away  for  a  gallop 
in  the  country. 

On  my  return  I  learned  that  two  officers  had  called 
and  asked  for  me  ;  had  left  word  that,  as  their  busi- 
ness was  urgent,  they  would  return  early  in  the  after- 
noon. I  did  not  know  the  names — Captain  Dimitrieff 
and  Lieutenant  Grassaw — and  I  could  not  think  what 
they  wanted  with  me,  but  I  resolved  to  wait  in  for 
them ;  and  while  I  was  waiting,  a  servant  brought 


46  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

me  a  card  from  another  stranger — Lieutenant  Sper- 
now. 

The  moment  he  entered  I  liked  his  pleasant,  cheery 
looks,  and  his  frank,  unrestrained,  self-possessed  man- 
ner impressed  me  most  favourably.  With  a  smile  he 
offered  me  his  hand,  and  said : 

"  I  have  come  in  a  quite  unusual  way,  Count  Ben- 
deroff.  I  am  sent,  in  fact,  to  make  your  acquaintance. 
I  am  assured  we  shall  speedily  be  friends." 

"  I  am  certainly  at  your  service,"  I  answered,  unable 
to  resist  a  smile  at  his  singular  introduction. 

"  It  has  an  odd  sound  after  all,  hasn't  it ;  and  yet, 
do  you  know,  I've  been  thinking  how  I  should  put  it 
and  rehearsing,  all  the  way.  It  does  sound  devilish 
odd  from  a  stranger,  but  I  do  hope — for  reasons  that 
weigh  infinitely  with  me,  I  can  assure  you — that  so  odd 
an  introduction  will  really  lead  to  friendship." 

"You  say  you  were  sent  to  me?"  I  asked,  cau- 
tiously. 

"Yes;  I  assure  you  I  am  frankness  itself.  They 
never  trust  me  with  important  secrets ;  I  blurt  them 
out ; "  and  he  laughed,  as  though  that  were  rather  a 
good  trait.  "  Old  Kolfort  sent  me— Old  Kolfort  for 
one." 

"  I  saw  General  Kolfort  last  evening,"  I  replied, 
drily.  "  But  sit  down  and  have  a  cigar,  and  then  tell 
me  why  he  is  so  interested  in  providing  me  with 
friends." 

"  That's  a  good  straight  question,  but  I'll  be  hanged 
if  I  can  answer  it.  He's  such  a  sly  old  fox,  with  fifty 
secret  reasons  for  every  plain  one.  Thanks,  I'll  have 
a  cigar.  Well,  he  sent  for  me  this  morning — you 
know,  I  am  on  the  Russian  tack  in  all  this  business, 
and  that  for  a  reason  which  I'm  pretty  sure  to  let  out 


"SPERNOW"  47 

before  I've  been  many  minutes  with  you ;  in  fact, 
bound  to,  come  to  think  of  it — and — let's  see,  where 
was  I  ?  Oh,  yes ;  he  sent  for  me,  and  said,  '  Lieuten- 
ant, I  have  a  pleasant  duty  for  you — and  an  important 
one.  I  wish  you  to  go  to  Count  Benderoff  and  make 
a  friend  of  him — he  told  me  your  hotel — and  do  what 
you  can  to  make  his  stay  in  Sofia  pleasant,  as  it  may 
be  only  a  very  short  one.  You're  the  best  man  I  know 
to  let  him  see  what's  worth  seeing  in  the  city,  and  to 
let  him  know  what's  worth  knowing.'  " 

"  It  promises  to  be  a  very  kind  act  on  his  part."  I 
spoke  sincerely,  and  my  visitor  smiled  at  the  words. 

"  It  shall  be,  if  you'll  let  me,  Count,  I  assure  you. 
But  that  old  fox  always  has  a  bitter  wrapped  up  some- 
where in  the  sweet ;  and  as  I  was  leaving,  after  having 
talked  you  over,  of  course,  he  pretended  to  remember 
something,  and  said,  '  Oh,  by  the  way,  take  this  letter 
to  the  Count  with  an  apology  from  me.  By  an  unfor- 
tunate mistake  it  has  got  opened  by  some  clumsy 
idiot,  and  was  brought  to  me  to  know  what  should  be 
done.  Tell  the  Count  I'm  very  sorry,  but  perhaps  he 
may  not  care  to  send  it  for  a  week  or  so,  after  all.' 
'What  is  it? 'said  I.  'Of  no  consequence;  but  the 
little  act  will  be  an  introduction  for  you.'  Then  I  saw 
it  was  one  of  those  infernal  things  that  are  always  be- 
ing done  in  this  country — an  intercepted  letter,  and  I 
felt  inclined  to  fling  it  in  his  face,  only  I  daren't.  I  let 
him  have  a  word  or  two  about  choosing  me  for  such 
work,  but  I  brought  it,  and  I'm  afraid  you'll  think  I'm 
a  regular  cad  to  lend  myself  to  such  a  thing.  But  I'll 
tell  you  why  I  decided  to  bring  it  in  a  minute ;  and  I 
hope  I  needn't  assure  you  I  don't  know  a  word  of 
what's  inside." 

I    accepted   his  word  without   hesitation,  and   be- 


48  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

lieved  in  his  expressions  of  disgust  at  the  mission.  I 
took  the  letter  readily  enough,  and  was  indeed  glad 
that  my  little  ruse  had  succeeded  so  completely.  Then 
I  gave  it  a  finishing  touch. 

"  I  suppose  he'll  expect  you  to  report  what  I  said. 
Well,  here's  the  answer."  I  struck  a  match  and  set 
fire  to  the  letter,  holding  it  until  it  was  consumed.  "  It's 
not  of  the  least  consequence,  I  assure  you,  for  I  took  the 
precaution  to  send  off  a  duplicate  in  proper  disguise." 

"  The  devil  you  did.  I'm  infernally  glad  to  hear  it. 
I  love  to  hear  of  old  Crafty  being  licked  at  his  own 
game."  Then  he  started  and  rapped  the  table  as  he 
laughed  and  asked :  "  Was  that  a  decoy  ?  Oh,  that's 
lovely.  I  won't  tell  him.  I  hate  the  old  tyrant,  and 
he  knows  it ;  but  he  knows,  too,  that  I'm  horribly 
afraid  of  him.  And  that's  what  he  likes.  Gad,  that's 
good  !  "  and  he  lay  back  in  his  chair  and  laughed  aloud 
at  the  thought  of  the  General  being  outwitted.  "  And 
he  was  so  damned  serious,  too,  that  I  know  he  thought 
he'd  done  a  mighty  smart  thing." 

He  was  obviously  sincere,  and  it  was  impossible  not 
to  see  that  he  thoroughly  enjoyed  what  he  deemed  a 
good  joke.  When  he  had  had  his  laugh  out,  he  gave  a 
little  sigh  of  relief  as  he  said  : 

"  Well,  that's  over,  and  I  hope  you'll  acquit  me  of 
any  personal  part  in  the  matter  or  humbug." 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  acquit  you  of  everything  except  of 
having  done  an  unpleasant  thing  pleasantly,"  I  an- 
swered, cordially. 

"  Thanks.  And  now,  is  your  stay  going  to  be  very 
short  in  Sofia?  I  must  tell  you  before  you  answer 
that  that's  a  thing  old  Crafty  told  me  to  find  out.  I 
suppose  he  has  some  underground  reason  or  other  ? 
He's  a  beggar  for  that." 


"SPERNOW"  49 

"  Frankly,  I  don't  know.  I  hope  not,  but  I  don't 
yet  know." 

"Well,  I  was  surprised  when  he  mentioned  it,  be- 
cause we'd  heard  that  you'd  taken  a  big  house,  and 
were  going  to  make  a  bit  of  a  splash,  you  know.  And, 
by  Jove,  it  would  be  a  blessing,  for  most  of  the  houses 
here  are  just  deadly  dull." 

"  '  We  heard,'  you  say  ?  " 

"  How  quick  you  are  !  "  he  answered  with  a  smile, 
and  he  had  a  slightly  heightened  colour  as  he  went  on. 
"  Yes,  we — we  two  ;  not  old  Kolfort,  you  know.  But 
— well,  we've  had  a  chat  about  you  more  than  once  ; 
and  last  night,  after  you'd  been  at  the  General's  house, 
we  had  a  regular  consultation  about  you — and,  to  tell 
you  the  truth,  that's  another  reason  why  I've  come." 

"  I  don't  think  I  understand." 

"  No,  of  course  you  don't.  I  don't  altogether.  I 

think;  but "  He  hesitated,  and  pulled  at  his  cigar 

for  some  moments  in  a  little  embarrassment.  "You 
see,  it's  a  bit  difficult  to  make  you  understand  without 
telling  what  a  man  doesn't  care  to  talk  about.  I  sup- 
pose something  happened  at  the  General's  that  affected 
you  closely,  and  made  you — hang  it  all !  Wait  a 
minute,  and  let  me  try  and  think  how  I  was  to  put  it." 

I  smiled  again  at  this,  and  watched  him  as  he  fid- 
geted with  his  cigar  somewhat  nervously  and  uneasily. 

"  You  saw  the  Princess  there,  didn't  you  ?  I  don't 
know,  but  I  heard  something  or  other ;  and,  anyway, 
she  must  have  been  speaking  to — to  someone  who 
spoke  to  me.  Doesn't  that  sound  rather  ridiculous?  " 

But   I  scarcely  heard  his  question.     The  reference 

to  the  Princess  Christina  had  set  my  thoughts  whirling 

at  the  bare  idea  that  he  was  in   some  remote  way  a 

messenger  from  her,  and  that   she  was  sufficiently  in- 

4 


50  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

terested  in  me  to  make  these  indirect  inquiries  as  to 
my  movements  and  intentions. 

"  Yes,  I  saw  the  Princess  last  night,"  I  said,  breaking 
the  pause.  "  Do  you  come  from  her?  "  I  was  aston- 
ished at  the  steadiness  of  the  tone  in  which  I  spoke. 

"  Well,  yes ;  but  yet  not  exactly — oh,  hang  it  all, 
I'd  better  out  with  it.  I  shall  only  make  a  mess  of 
things ;  "  and  he  laughed  gaily,  and  flushed.  "  I  came 
to  you  mainly  because  I  was  asked  to  do  so  by  Made- 
moiselle Broumoff,  who  is  one  of  her  closest  com- 
panions ;  and  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  and  I  are,  in 
fact,  betrothed.  Now  you've  got  it,  Count ;  and  that's 
why  I  fiddled  about  just  now,  and  didn't  know  quite 
what  to  say." 

"  I  am  much  mistaken  if  Mademoiselle  Broumoff, 
whose  acquaintance  I  shall  hope  to  make,  is  not  an 
exceedingly  fortunate  girl,  lieutenant ;  and  I  speak 
without  the  least  affectation  when  I  say  that  your 
news  interests  me  deeply." 

It  did,  in  all  truth.  To  have  as  a  friend  someone 
who  was  in  the  close  confidence  of  the  Princess  herself, 
was  a  stroke  of  good  fortune  which  I  could  indeed  ap- 
preciate ;  and  I  resolved  to  bind  this  handsome  young 
officer  to  me  by  all  possible  bonds. 

"  The  one  commission  is  an  antidote  to  the  other, 
at  any  rate,  I  hope,"  said  Spernow ;  "  and  if  it's  any 
gratification  to  you  to  know  it,  you  can  rest  assured 
that  the  Princess  takes  a  lively  interest  in  you,  and  for 
some  reason  or  other  feels  herself  under  some  sort  of 
obligation  to  you.  Frankly,  I  don't  know  what  it  is  ; 
but  I  do  know  there  are  plenty  of  our  fellows  who'd 
like  to  stand  in  your  shoes  in  such  a  thing.  You  can't 
think  how  we  worship  that  woman  !  "  he  cried,  with  a 
flash  of  sudden  enthusiasm. 


"SPERNOW"  51 

"  I  can  think  of  no  cause  for  such  a  feeling  of  obliga- 
tion," said  I,  speaking  indifferently  to  hide  the  tin- 
gling glow  of  delight  at  his  words. 

"  Oh,  of  course.  By  Jove,  I  was  nearly  forgetting," 
he  exclaimed,  with  a  jerk,  as  he  plunged  his  hand  into 
his  pocket  and  brought  out  a  packet  of  papers.  "  Are 
you  engaged  for  to-morrow  night  ?  " 

"I?      No  indeed." 

"  Then  you'll  be  able  to  come  all  right.  I've  got 
you  a  card  for  the  ball  at  the  Assembly.  It's  a  big 
do  ;  and  most  of  the  folks  worth  knowing  will  be  there, 
if  you  want  to  know  them." 

"  Is  this  from  the  General  ?  " 

"Well,  not  exactly,  though  he'll  be  glad  enough 
for  you  to  go.  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  put  me  up 
to  it." 

"Then  I  may  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her  there  ?" 

"  Of  course,  she's  going,  rather ;  and  the  Princess 
too.  You'll  come  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  very  pleased.  It  is  just  the  chance  I 
shall  welcome." 

Was  this  another  little  personal  attention  from  the 
Princess,  or  merely  a  development  of  the  policy  of  win- 
ning me  to  the  Russian  side?  I  was  turning  this  over, 
and  thinking  how  far  I  could  get  the  answer  from  Sper- 
now,  when  a  servant  came  to  say  that  the  two  officers 
who  had  called  earlier  in  the  day  had  returned. 

I  told  the  man  to  show  them  in,  and  explained 
matters  to  Spernow.  He  knew  them,  he  said,  but  not 
their  errand. 

This  was  soon  explained,  and  caused  me  no  little 
surprise. 

"  We  come  from  Lieutenant  Ristich,"  said  Captain 
Dimitrieff,  speaking  very  formally  and  stiffly. 


52  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  And  who  is  Lieutenant  Ristich  ?  "  I  asked.  "  I  do 
not  know  him." 

"  You  met  yesterday  at  General  Kolfort's  house,  and 
he  considers  that  you  insulted  him.  Will  you  be  good 
enough  to  tell  me  who  will  act  for  you?  The  facts 
have  been  explained  to  me." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  the  lieutenant  wishes  to  force 
a  quarrel  upon  me?  I  remember  him  now,  of  course  ; 
but  I  know  of  no  insult,  and  certainly  I  have  no 
quarrel  with  him." 

The  captain  raised  his  eyebrows  and  shrugged  his 
shoulders. 

"  Shall  I  say,  then,  that  you  prefer  to  apologise  ?  " 
he  asked,  superciliously. 

"  Certainly  not,"  I  returned  sharply,  stung  by  his 
manner.  "  What  I  mean  is  that  nothing  passed  which 
need  make  another  encounter  between  us  necessary." 

"  That  is  an  impasse." 

"  I  cannot  help  that,"  said  I,  indifferently. 

"  Well,  you  must  either  fight,  sir,  or  refuse  to  fight ; 
and  in  the  latter  case  the  lieutenant  says  he  will  be 
driven  to  the  extreme  course  of  publicly  insulting 
you." 

"  This  is  monstrous,"  I  answered  angrily.  "  It  is 
nothing  less  than  forcing  a  quarrel  upon  me,  as  I  say. 
But  if  that  is  the  lieutenant's  mood,  and  he  wishes  for 
another  lesson  in  swordsmanship,  I'll  give  it  him.  I 
have  but  very  few  friends  here  in  Sofia,  but  the  matter 

shall  be  arranged  without  delay.  Perhaps "  I 

looked  across  at  Spernow. 

"Can  I  be  of  any  assistance,  Count?"  he  said, 
eagerly. 

"  I  shall  be  deeply  obliged  if  you  will.  Perhaps 
these  gentlemen  will  retire  to  another  room  for  a  few 


"SPERNOW"  53 

minutes,  and  then  you  can  wait  on  them,  and  matters 
can  be  put  in  course  before  they  leave  the  hotel." 

They  went,  and  I  explained  all  that  was  necessary 
to  Spernow,  telling  him  that  I  attached  little  impor- 
tance to  the  affair,  and  that  I  had  already  proved  my- 
self much  more  than  a  match  for  the  lieutenant  with 
the  sword  ;  that  as  the  challenged  party  I  should 
choose  swords ;  but  that  the  conditions  were  to  be 
made  as  little  stringent  as  possible,  so  that  the  fight 
could  be  stopped  as  soon  as  either  was  wounded,  how- 
ever slightly. 

He  went  away  then,  and  when  he  returned  said  that 
he  had  made  all  arrangements,  and  that  we  were  to 
meet  early  the  next  morning  at  a  spot  just  outside  the 
town,  often  used  for  the  purpose. 

"  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  will  take  a  keen  interest 
in  this  business,  Count,"  he  said,  as  he  was  leaving  me 
later.  "  Lieutenant  Ristich  is  an  object  of  her  deep- 
est hatred ;  and  so  will  the  Princess  for  the  matter  of 
that.  He  is  no  favourite  of  hers  either." 

"  You  will  say  nothing,  of  course,  until  it  is  over; 
and  you  will  get  a  friend  to  act  with  you,  and  perhaps 
you  will  both  breakfast  with  me  afterwards." 

"  With  pleasure.  You  take  it  coolly,  Count,"  he 
said  as  we  shook  hands. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  DUEL,  AND   AFTER 

IT  was  a  glorious  morning,  the  air  crisp,  fresh  and 
clear,  when  I  rose  early,  and  found  Spernow  waiting 
for  me  in  the  courtyard  of  the  hotel.  He  introduced 
his  friend,  Captain  Zoiloff,  who  would  act  as  my  other 
second  in  the  duel. 

"  I  got  Zoiloff  to  come  because  he's  well  up  in  these 
matters,"  said  Spernow,  "and  I'm  not.  He'll  keep  us 
right." 

I  did  not  take  the  affair  of  the  duel  seriously  ;  my 
bout  with  Ristich  at  the  General's  house  had  shown 
me  my  greater  skill,  and  I  had  no  intention  of  even 
wounding  him  seriously,  and  no  fear  whatever  that  he 
would  be  able  to  touch  me.  I  said  as  much  to  my 
companions  as  we  walked  together  to  the  ground. 

"  Ristich  is  very  mad  against  you  for  some  reason  or 
other,"  said  Spernow.  "  And  he's  a  hare-brained  chap, 
so  I  should  look  out." 

"  He  is  not  much  of  a  swordsman,"  put  in  Zoiloff, 
"  but  he  has  one  or  two  clever  strokes  that  have  served 
him  well  enough  in  other  affairs  of  this  kind  ;  "  and  he 
went  on  to  describe  them.  But  he  found  me  a  some 
what  inattentive  listener,  and  after  a  short  time  the 
talk  turned  to  other  matters. 

We  were  first  on  the  ground,  and  Captain  Zoiloff 
promptly  set  to  work  to  choose  the  most  suitable  spot, 
and  the  positions  which  we  should  respectively  take 
54 


THE  DUEL,  AND  AFTER  55 

up.  He  displayed  a  manifest  relish  for  the  task,  and 
was  evidently  an  old  campaigner  in  this  sort  of  thing. 

He  had  scarcely  concluded  his  work  when  the  other 
party  arrived,  bringing  with  them  a  doctor.  They 
saluted  us  formally,  and  without  any  delay  the  seconds 
consulted  together,  decided  upon  the  ground,  and  se- 
lected the  weapons. 

While  they  were  thus  engaged  Ristich  and  I  stood 
apart,  and  I  saw  that  he  was  very  pale  and  moody- 
looking,  glancing  every  now  and  again  at  me  with 
patent  ill-feeling  and  animosity. 

"  Ristich  has  got  his  marching  orders,"  said  Spernow 
to  me,  when  he  and  Zoiloff  came  to  explain  what  they 
had  arranged. 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  He  is  being  sent  back  to  Russia,  and  leaves  to- 
day." 

"  I  heard  him  declare  he  wanted  to  go,"  said  I. 

"  Yes,  but  not  in  semi-disgrace.  He  puts  it  down  to 
you,  and  that's  what  makes  him  so  bitter.  They  tell 
me  he  raged  like  a  fiend  when  he  heard  it  last  night, 
and  he  means  mischief." 

I  glanced  across  at  him.  He  had  thrown  off  his  uni- 
form, and  I  saw,  too,  that  his  sword-arm  was  bandaged. 
Till  that  moment  I  had  forgotten  all  about  the  wound 
I  had  inflicted. 

"Stay  a  moment,"  I  cried  to  my  seconds.  "He  is 
wounded.  I  can't  fight  a  disabled  man,"  and  I  told 
them  what  had  occurred. 

"That's  his  lookout,'  said  Zoiloff,  in  a  very  business- 
like tone.  "  He  is  the  challenger." 

"  I  won't  fight  a  cripple,"  I  said  resolutely;  and  at 
that  they  called  the  other  seconds  aside,  and  a  long 
conference  ensued,  in  the  course  of  which  Ristich  was 


56  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

more  than  once  consulted.  I  saw  him  explaining  mat- 
ters to  his  seconds,  and  flourishing  one  of  the  rapiers 
to  show  that  he  could  use  it  quite  well. 

"  He  insists  that  the  fight  must  go  on,"  said  Zoiloff 
on  his  return  to  me,  "  and  I  really  don't  see  that  you 
can  object." 

"  But  it  isn't  fair,"  I  protested.  "  Under  ordinary 
circumstances,  and  with  the  full  use  of  his  arm,  the  man 
isn't  my  equal  with  the  sword,  and,  disabled  in  that 
way,  the  thing's  absurd." 

"  His  point  is  that  he  has  to  leave  Sofia,  and  that,  as 
he  is  determined  to  fight  you,  he  will  have  no  other 
chance.  I  shouldn't  insist,  Count  Benderoff,  if  I  were 
in  your  place.  It  will  only  cause  talk.  The  doctor 
has  examined  the  wound  and  says  Ristich  is  fit  to  fight, 
and  he  has  shown  us,  as  you  may  have  seen,  that  he 
has  complete  command  of  his  sword." 

"  It  makes  me  appear  ridiculous  to  fight  a  wounded 
man,"  I  urged.  "  Try  further  protest,  and  say  I  will 
meet  him  anywhere  at  any  time  when  he  is  well  again. 
I  will  travel  to  Russia  if  necessary." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  we  shall  only  get  some  sneering 
reply  that  you  don't  want  to  fight,  or  something  of 
that  sort." 

"  I  would  rather  be  sneered  at  for  not  fighting  a 
wounded  man  than  fight  one,"  said  I.  "  I  will  take 
care  of  my  reputation."  And  they  went  across  to 
repeat  the  protest  and  deliver  the  message. 

It  was  as  fruitless  as  the  former  one,  and  when  Zoi- 
loff returned  he  was  very  angry. 

"I  will  not  repeat  his  message,"  he  said;  "but  it 
was  most  insulting.  You  must  fight,  Count.  If  we 
have  any  more  conferences  we  shall  only  have  more 
duels.  I  think  you  have  acted  most  honourably ;  but, 


TPIE  DUEL,  AND  AFTER  57 

believe  me,  you  can  only  press  this  further  at  great 
risk  to  your  name.5' 

He  spoke  so  earnestly,  and  Spernow  joined  with 
him,  that  I  allowed  myself  to  be  persuaded,  and  threw 
off  my  coat  and  waistcoat  and  made  ready. 

We  took  up  our  positions  under  the  shadow  of  some 
trees,  and  when  my  opponent  was  close  to  me  the  look 
of  hate  in  his  eyes,  as  they  rested  on  mine,  confirmed 
what  Spernow  had  told  me  of  his  intention  and  desire 
to  do  his  worst. 

But  from  the  moment  when  our  blades  crossed  and 
the  word  was  given  us  to  engage,  I  knew  that  the  issue 
must  rest  with  me.  Ristich  attacked  me  immediately 
with  great  violence  and  impetuosity,  in  the  hope  of 
finishing  the  matter  before  his  weakened  strength 
should  give  out.  I  had  no  difficulty  in  defending  my- 
self, however,  and,  had  I  been  in  the  same  vengeful 
mood  as  he  was,  I  could  have  run  him  through. 

My  object  was  not  that.  I  wished  merely  to  wound 
him  slightly,  or  disarm  him  ;  and  I  tried  two  or  three 
times  to  do  the  latter,  though  without  success.  I 
fought  as  coolly  and  warily  as  if  we  were  in  the  school 
trying  a  bout  with  the  foils,  and  this  coolness  aggra- 
vated my  opponent  intensely,  so  that  he  lost  all  self- 
control. 

Watching  patiently  for  my  opportunity,  I  found  it 
when  he  had  made  one  of  his  reckless,  angry  thrusts, 
and  with  a  quick  counter  I  drove  the  point  of  my 
sword  into  his  shoulder.  Then  I  drew  back  instantly 
and  threw  up  my  weapon  off  the  guard.  Whether  he 
saw  this  or  not,  or  whether  his  rage  blinded  him  to  his 
wound  and  to  all  else  besides,  I  know  not,  but  instantly 
he  thrust  out  his  weapon  with  a  blow  aimed  straight 
at  my  heart. 


58  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

I  saved  myself  only  by  springing  back,  while  a  shout 
of  indignation  came  from  Zoiloff. 

"  A  foul  stroke  ;  I  call  you  to  witness,  gentlemen,  a 
foul  and  dastardly  stroke,"  he  cried,  excitedly,  as  he 
rushed  in  and  struck  up  my  opponent's  sword.  "  Count 
Benderoff  has  behaved  splendidly,  and  if  your  sword 
had  gone  home,  Lieutenant  Ristich,  it  would  have  been 
murder.  A  most  foul  stroke." 

In  a  moment  he  was  the  centre  of  a  group,  all  as  ex- 
cited as  himself.  Ristich  protested  that  he  had  not 
seen  me  draw  back  from  the  fight,  that  he  had  not  felt 
that  he  was  wounded,  and  that  he  was  eager  to  con- 
tinue the  fight.  But  Zoiloff  would  not  hear  of  it. 

"  I  withdraw  my  man,  certainly,"  I  heard  him  say, 
and  he  brought  matters  to  a  dramatic  conclusion.  "  I 
declare  the  stroke  a  foul  one,  foully  dealt,  and  if  any- 
one questions  that,  I  am  ready  to  make  good  my  words 
now  and  here  ;  "  and  he  singled  out  Captain  Dimitrieff 
and  addressed  him  pointedly  :  "  What  say  you,  Cap- 
tain?" 

He  looked  very  dangerous  as  he  paused  for  an  an- 
swer, and  the  Captain  clearly  had  no  wish  for  a  quarrel 
with  him. 

"  Of  course,  the  fight  is  over,"  he  answered,  evasively. 

"  Exactly,  and  we'll  leave  it  at  that,"  said  Zoiloff, 
drily,  as  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  came  to  me  with 
Spernow.  "  I  never  saw  a  more  dastardly  thing.  I 
wouldn't  have  believed  even  a  Russian  would  have 
done  such  a  thing."  A  speech  that  set  me  wondering. 

"  They  won't  cross  Zoiloff,"  whispered  Spernow  to 
me  as  I  was  dressing,  rapidly.  "  He's  a  demon  at  the 
business.  I'm  glad  I  brought  him." 

"  What  did  he  mean  about  '  even  a  Russian  ?  "  I 
asked. 


THE  DUEL,  AND  AFTER  59 

"  He  hates  'em  as  much  as  I  do.  I'll  tell  you  an- 
other time,"  replied  Spernow. 

"  I  congratulate  you,  Count  Benderoff,  on  a  lucky 
escape.  That  man  meant  to  murder  you  ;  and  Dimi- 
trieff  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  himself  for  not  speaking 
out  plainly.  But  they  hang  together  in  a  way  that's 

disgusting,  these "  He  checked  himself  suddenly, 

with  a  quick  glance  at  me,  as  though  he  had  said  more 
than  enough  before  a  stranger. 

"  I  hope  he  really  did  not  know  I  was  not  on 
guard,"  I  answered. 

"  I'm  afraid  it's  a  hope  not  much  stouter  than  a 
spider's  web  ;  "  and  he  laughed  bitterly.  "  The  man 
meant  murder,  and  was  mad  when  he  saw  you  could 
hold  him  so  easily.  You  use  the  sword  like  a  master, 
Count — I  should  like  to  try  the  foils  with  you." 

"  Nothing  would  please  me  better  than  a  few  hints 
from  you,"  said  I,  readily.  "  I  am  a  good  deal  out  of 
practice." 

"  Then  I  shouldn't  care  to  play  with  you  in  earnest 
when  you  are  in  practice,"  was  his  deftly  flattering 
reply.  "  If  we  are  to  quarrel,  I'd  better  pray  for  it  to 
be  soon  ;  "  and  his  taciturn  face  broke  into  a  smile. 

"  It's  something  to  earn  Zoiloff's  praise  in  these 
things,  Count,"  said  Spernow,  laughing.  "  He's  gen- 
erally as  chary  of  it  as  a  coy  woman  of  her  kisses." 

"You  are  both  breakfasting  with  me,  I  hope,"  I  said, 
as  we  moved  off  the  ground.  "  Then  we  can  go  round 
to  the  house  I  am  getting  ready,  and,  if  you  like,  I  can 
have  my  first  lesson  in  the  shooting  gallery  which  I 
am  having  fitted  up  there." 

"  Nothing  would  give  me  greater  pleasure  ;  but  un- 
fortunately, as  I  told  Spernow,  I  have  an  engagement 
which  I  cannot  break,"  said  ZoilofL  "  But  I  can  be 


60  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

with  you  in  about  a  couple  of  hours  from  now.  and 
then  I  shall  be  at  your  service.  I  should  like  nothing 
better  than  to  see  your  gallery."  And  we  arranged  it 
so. 

While  we  were  at  breakfast  I  asked  Spernow  to  tell 
me,  as  he  had  promised,  how  it  was  that  so  much 
hatred  of  the  Russians  existed  among  the  very  men 
who  were  on  their  side.  Such  a  fact,  if  it  were  one, 
might  have  considerable  influence  upon  me. 

"  I  am  the  Avorst  hand  in  the  world  at  explaining 
things,"  he  answered.  "  But  it  is  quite  true.  We 
don't  trust  them,  but  we  trust  each  other  less,  Count ; 
that's  about  the  size  of  it,  I  think.  We  must  have 
some  kind  of  steady  leadership,  and  what  is  there 
here  ?  Look  at  the  men  who  are  at  the  head  of  things, 
and  what  are  they  except  a  crowd  of  nobodies,  risen 
from  nowhere,  and  setting  their  course  solely  by  the 
compass  of  self-interest.  The  needle  points  always  in 
that  direction,  and  all  the  rest  goes  running  round  it." 

"  But  why  trust  Russia?" 

"Why  not?  So  far  as  we  can  see,  the  one  steady 
influence  in  this  country  is  directed  by  her.  We  hate 
Russia,  but  we  are  afraid  of  her ;  and  where  else  can 
we  look  for  any  hope  of  help  ?  " 

"  The  Prince,"  I  suggested. 

"  He  is  as  powerless  as  his  poorest  subject,  and  he 
has  round  him  a  crew  that  are  after  nothing  but  their 
own  personal  ends.  They  yell  about  patriotism  and 
independence  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  but  would  sell 
themselves  to-morrow  to  the  highest  bidder.  They 
only  don't  sell  themselves,  because  nobody  thinks  them 
worth  buying.  The  only  real  power  is  wielded  by 
Russia,  and  I  suppose  we  think  it's  better  to  make 
friends  in  advance  with  what  must  be  the  controlling 


THE  DUEL,  AND  AFTER  61 

hand  in  the  country.  It's  not  a  very  high  game,  is  it 
—but  where's  a  better  ?  Men  like  Zoiloff  would  only 
too  gladly  jump  at  a  chance  of  something  better." 

"And  the  Princess  Christina?" 

"  Ah  ! "  And  his  face  lighted  with  enthusiasm. 
"  We  do  all  but  worship  her,  not  only  for  herself,  but 
because  we  have  come  to  believe  she  will  in  some  way 
do  what  we  want  to  see  done — draw  out  the  best  that 
lies  in  Bulgarian  life.  She  is  truth  itself,  and  right, 
justice,  and  honour  are  the  cardinal  articles  of  her 
faith." 

I  looked  at  him  in  surprise  and  began  to  see  there 
was  more  in  him  than  I  had  at  first  thought. 

"  You  think  more  seriously  of  these  matters  than  I 
had  believed,"  I  said. 

"  I  ?  "  and  he  laughed.  "  Ah,  it  does  not  do  for  us 
Bulgarians  to  let  the  Russians  believe  we  take  either 
our  affairs  or  ourselves  too  earnestly.  But  some  of  us 
are  sound  enough  in  heart  at  least.  Enough  of  polit- 
ics, however  ;  why  should  I  bore  you  with  them  ?  " 
And  he  turned  away  to  lighter  topics,  rattling  off  a 
dozen  stories  of  the  latest  gossip  and  tittle-tattle  about 
the  society  of  the  city. 

I  did  not  check  him,  for  it  struck  me  that  he  was 
anxious  rather  that  I  should  retain  my  first  impressions 
of  him  than  begin  to  look  on  him  as  taking  a  serious 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  country. 

After  breakfast  we  went  round  to  my  house  and  I 
showed  him  the  alterations  I  had  made.  He  took  the 
keenest  interest  in  everything,  declaring  that  my  wealth 
would  make  me  at  once  an  important  figure  in  Sofia, 
and  that  in  a  few  weeks  I  should  have  half  the  city 
flocking  to  my  doors. 

When  Zoiloff  came  we  went  to  the  shooting  gallery, 


62  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

and  both  the  men  were  vastly  interested  in  everything 
I  had  done.  I  had  had  the  place  fitted  as  a  gymna- 
sium, with  every  kind  of  appliance  that  money  could 
provide ;  many  of  them  sent  specially  from  England. 

"  I  did  not  know  that  you  Roumanians  cared  for 
these  things  at  all,"  said  Zoiloff.  "  I  have  not  done 
you  justice." 

"  I  am  half  an  Englishman,"  I  answered,  purposely 
— for  I  had  begun  to  alter  radically  the  original  part 
for  which  I  had  cast  myself.  If  I  was  to  stay  in  Sofia, 
I  felt  that  I  must  wrap  round  me  the  protection  which 
that  magic  formula,  British  subject,  alone  could  give. 
The  announcement  surprised  them  both. 

"  Ah,  that  accounts  for  it,"  exclaimed  Zoiloff.  "  You 
English  are  a  wonderful  people.  But  why  do  you 
come  to  Sofia  ?  Pardon  me,  I  have  no  right  to  put 
such  a  question,"  he  added  hastily. 

"  I  am  also  half  a  Roumanian  ;  and  the  freedom  of 
Bulgaria  is  essential  for  the  independence  of  that 
country." 

I  turned  away  as  I  spoke,  and  pretended  not  to  no- 
tice the  swift,  shrewd  look  which  both  men  turned 
upon  me. 

"  I  shall  hope  to  know  much  more  of  you,  Count 
BenderofT,"  said  Zoiloff,  with  so  much  earnestness  that 
1  thought  my  words  had  touched  the  chord  in  him  I  in- 
tended. 

"  I  think  it  is  my  turn  to  be  surprised  in  you,"  said 
Spernow.  "And  I  hope  that  we  three  may  come  to 
understand  each  other  well." 

Were  these  invitations  from  them  both  to  speak 
more  openly  ?  I  thought  so,  but  felt  that  for  the  pres- 
ent I  had  said  enough. 

"  Shall  we  try  the  foils  ?  "  I  asked. 


THE  DUEL,  AND  AFTER  63 

"With  pleasure,"  agreed  Zoiloff  ;  and  while  he  was 
making  ready  he  glanced  round  the  spacious  gallery 
and  added  :  "  What  a  magnificent  hall  you  have  here  ; 
there  is  room  to  drill  half  a  company  of  soldiers,  as  well 
as  train  a  band  of  athletes  !  " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  with  a  laugh.  "  It  would  be  a 
fine  house  for  a  revolutionary  movement."  And  at 
this  they  both  started,  and  again  shot  shrewd,  search- 
ing glances  at  me ;  but  I  was  busy  selecting  the  foils. 

"You  English  are  a  wonderful  people,"  said  Zoiloff 
again,  but  this  time  very  drily. 

We  set  to  work  then  with  our  fencing,  and  to  my 
surprise,  and  much  to  Zoiloffs  admiration,  I  proved 
slightly  the  better  swordsman.  He  had  not  a  spark  of 
jealousy  or  envy  in  his  composition,  and  when  I  had 
beaten  him  for  the  third  or  fourth  bout  in  succession, 
he  only  laughed  and  said: 

"  I  am  your  first  recruit,  Count  ;  'and  you  are  a  mas- 
ter I  am  well  content  to  work  from — and  follow." 

"  Good,"  exclaimed  Spernow,  <;  I  will  be  the  second 
— if  you  will  have  me,  Count." 

"  My  dear  Spernow,  I  could  wish  no  better  friends 
or  comrades  in  any  work  than  you  two."  At  this  an- 
swer Zoiloff,  taciturn  and  reserved  though  he  was  by 
nature,  offered  me  his  hand  impulsively,  and  said  with 
great  earnestness,  as  I  took  it  : 

"  Now  I  am  sure  we  understand  each  other,  and  shall 
work  together  for  the  same  cause,  Count ;  "  and  the 
warmth  of  his  hand-grip  told  me  that  in  him  I  should 
have  a  firm  friend. 

Spernow  was  not  nearly  so  skilful  a  swordsman,  and 
knew  it ;  but  he  was  anxious  to  learn,  and  we  arranged 
that  we  three  should  make  a  rule  of  meeting  daily  for 
such  practice  ;  and  when  we  were  separating  I  said  : 


64  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  As  you  can  see,  I  take  a  great  interest  in  these 
things,  and  I  should  like  you  to  do  me  the  favour  of 
bringing  with  you  such  friends  of  yours  as  you  think 
would  like  to  come  and  would  help  us  by  taking  an 
interest  in  the  work  here." 

Zoiloffs  dark  eyes  lighted  meaningly  as  they  held 
mine. 

"  You  would  soon  have  a  large  circle  of  friends, 
Count." 

"  Every  friend  of  Bulgaria  would  be  a  friend  of  mine," 
I  answered. 

"  You  mean  all  that  that  implies  ?  " 

"  I  mean  all  that  that  implies ;  and  the  wider  inter- 
pretation you  give  to  it  the  better  I  shall  be  pleased." 

"  It  should  be  a  day  of  good  omen  for  the  country 
when  your  house  is  thrown  open  for  that  purpose.  A 
party  of  really  patriotic  Bulgarians  is  no  mere  dream- 
project — though  they  will  be  young  men,  mostly.  By 
Heavens,  but  I  am  glad  Spernow  induced  me  to  go  out 
with  you  this  morning." 

When  they  had  gone,  I  stayed  to  think  over  all  the 
chances  which  this  unexpected  turn  of  matters  sug- 
gested. It  might  yet  be  checkmate  indeed  to  Russian 
plans,  if  we  could  find  the  means  to  form  such  a  party 
of  young  ardent  patriots  from  within  the  very  ranks 
of  those  supposed  to  be  devoted  to  Russian  interests. 
There  were  possibilities  calculated  to  satisfy  the  wild- 
est ambitions  and  effect  the  most  drastic  changes. 

It  would  be  a  perilous  task  enough  at  the  outset,  for 
I  could  not  doubt  that,  should  the  project  get  wind, 
as  was  most  probable  in  that  land  of  spies  and  treachery, 
General  Kolfort  would  spare  no  efforts  and  stop  at  no 
measures  to  crush  it  under  the  wheels  of  his  enormous 
power. 


THE  DUEL,  AND  AFTER  65 

But  it  was  worth  the  effort.  To  me  it  was  infinitely 
more  welcome  than  any  secret  counter-mining  intrigue, 
such  as  I  had  had  in  contemplation.  It  would  be  a 
real  sturdy  stroke  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  and,  if  once 
successful,  no  man  could  tell  how  far  or  wide  or  deep 
its  glorious  effects  might  not  be  felt. 

It  roused  me  till  the  blood  coursed  quickly  through 
my  veins  and  my  pulse  beat  with  feverish  throbs,  for 
in  it  I  saw  the  real  interest  and  honour  of  the  Princess 
Christina  herself.  The  men  who  had  been  with  me 
were  both  pledged  to  the  eyelids  to  serve  her,  I  knew ; 
and  I  knew  further  that  every  man  they  brought  to  the 
house  to  join  us  would  have  the  same  enthusiasm  in 
her  behalf.  Who  could  tell  but  that  by  these  means 
I  might  yet  be  the  agent  to  place  her  on  the  throne, 
but  without  the  hampering  restrictions  of  any  Russian 
marriage  ? 

This  thought  was  whirling  in  my  head  as  I  walked 
back  to  my  hotel,  there  to  receive  another  startling 
surprise. 

Some  one  was  waiting  to  see  me,  had  been  waiting 
for  two  hours,  on  important  business. 

"  I  am  Major  Grueff,  and  am  the  bearer  of  a  letter  to 
Count  Benderoff,  of  Radova.  Have  I  the  pleasure  of 
speaking  to  him  ?  " 

"Yes,  what  is  it?"  I  asked,  concealing  my  surprise. 

"  His  Highness  has  given  you  a  captain's  commis- 
sion in  the  Sofia  Regiment,  Count,  of  which  I  am  the 
Major  in  command,  and  has  requested  me  to  carry  back 
your  answer  to  this  letter." 

I  opened  it  and  found  it  a  request  that  I  should  wait 
upon  the  Prince  on  the  following  day. 

There  was  no  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  this.  It 
was  the  Countess  Bokara's  work ;  and  as  I  penned  my 
5 


66  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

reply,  that  I  should  gladly  accept  his  command,  I  called 
to  mind  her  declaration  that  our  next  meeting  would 
be  at  the  Prince's  palace. 

"  I  am  glad  to  welcome  you  to  the  regiment,  Count," 
said  the  major  ;  but  he  spoke  in  a  tone  I  did  not  like, 
and  I  conceived  an  instinctive  but  invincible  prejudice 
against  him.  "  And,  as  I  have  been  so  long  waiting, 
I  will  get  you  to  excuse  my  hurrying  away." 

I  did  not  attempt  to  stay  him  ;  for  I  wished  to  be 
alone  to  think  over  this  new  development. 

If  I  accepted  the  captaincy,  what  could  it  mean  ex- 
cept that  I  committed  myself  to  the  Prince's  side  ?  And 
this  at  the  very  moment  when  the  other  and  vastly 
more  congenial  plan  had  begun  to  take  shape  in  my 
mind. 

I  thought  I  could  see  again  the  alluring  but  cruel 
face  of  the  Countess  Bokara,  and  hear  the  ring  of 
triumph  in  her  voice  as  she  had  turned  to  me  after  her 
cold-blooded  deed : 

"  Now  you  will  have  to  join  us !  " 


CHAPTER   VII 

AT   THE  BALL 

THE  ball  that  night  was  a  very  brilliant  affair,  and 
when  I  arrived  the  rooms  were  already  somewhat 
crowded.  I  found  Spernow  waiting  for  me  near  the 
entrance. 

"  You  are  a  little  late,  Count ;  we  began  to  fear  that 
perhaps  you  were  not  coming.  Mademoiselle  Brou- 
moff  is  anxious  for  me  to  present  you  at  once.  Will 
you  come  with  me  ?  " 

As  we  threaded  our  way  through  the  throng,  he  told 
me  the  names  of  many  of  those  present,  but  I  was 
looking  everywhere  for  the  Princess,  and  felt  disap- 
pointed at  not  seeing  her. 

Mademoiselle  Broumoff  was  sitting  alone  in  a  corner 
at  the  far  end,  and  I  saw  her  eyes  light  up  as  she 
caught  sight  of  us.  She  was  not  pretty,  but  her  face 
was  bright  and  clever,  with  an  ever-changing  play  of 
expression  that  made  it  very  attractive  ;  while  a  pair 
of  deeply  set  thoughtful  eyes  spoke  of  great  intelli- 
gence. 

As  soon  as  I  had  been  presented,  she  made  a  place 
for  me  at  her  side  and  sent  Spernow  away  with  a  re- 
minder that  he  had  a  number  of  duty  dances  with  im- 
portant partners. 

"  You  have  kept  him  from  them  so  long,  Count,  that 
he  will  have  a  busy  time,"  she  said  with  a  smile. 

"  I  have  kept  him  ?     I  have  but  this  minute  arrived." 

67 


68  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Of  course,  that  is  the  reason.  I  had  commissioned 
him  to  bring  you  straight  to  me,  and  you  are  late." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  such  an  honour  was  depending 
on  my  arrival,  or  I  would  have  been  earlier,"  I  said 
with  a  bow. 

"  I  have  been  most  anxious,  and  half  feared  you 
meant  to  disappoint  us  ; "  and  in  a  light  strain  we 
chatted  pleasantly.  I  soon  perceived  that  my  com- 
panion was  bent  upon  creating  a  favourable  impression, 
while  on  my  side  I  was  not  less  desirous  of  making  a 
friend  of  one  who  was  so  close  an  intimate  of  the 
Princess.  We  danced  the  next  waltz  together,  and  at 
the  close  of  it  she  asked  me  to  lead  her  to  one  of  the 
conservatories. 

I  observed  that  she  was  careful  to  select  a  quiet  cor- 
ner, where  we  could  speak  without  fear  of  being 
overheard,  and  after  a  moment's  pause  she  said  ear- 
nestly :  j 

"  I  have  been  really  anxious  to  know  you,  Count." 

"  I  am  flattered,"  I  answered. 

"  No,  not  that,"  she  replied  impulsively,  with  a  slight 
shake  of  the  head.  "  I  mean  more  than  that.  Michel 
has  told  me  all  that  has  passed  between  you — especially 
this  morning  at  your  new  house.  Captain  Zoiloff  is  a 
man  to  trust  implicitly,  you  know  that?" 

"  I  formed  that  opinion  strongly,"  I  said,  beginning 
to  wonder  what  she  was  going  to  say. 

"  Michel  tells  me  you  are  half  English.  Is  that  a 
secret  ? " 

"  No,  certainly  not.  We  English  are  not  afraid  to 
own  our  nationality,  as  the  actions  of  many  of  us 
show  too  prominently  sometimes,  I  fear." 

"  But  Englishmen  of  wealth  do  not  commonly  choose 
Bulgaria  as  a  place  of  residence — at  least  not  without 


AT  THE  BALL  69 

some  strong  motive."  And  her  eyes  searched  my  face 
for  the  truth. 

"  Eccentricity  has  never  yet  been  denied  to  us." 

"  Is  it  in  your  case  eccentricity — only  ?  " 

"  I  am  also  half  a  Roumanian,"  I  said,  repeating  the 
answer  I  had  given  in  the  morning  to  Zoiloff. 

"And  the  Roumanians  are  all  but  Russians." 

"  Is  not  the  Princess  Christina  a  Roumanian?"  I  re- 
torted. "And  also  of  the  Russian  Party  here?" 

"Do  you  think  that?"  she  asked  quickly,  turning 
the  battery  of  her  eyes  full  on  me  again. 

"  What  time  or  means  have  I  had  to  learn  how  to 
distinguish  between  appearances  and  facts?" 

She  laughed — a  very  silvery,  sweet  laugh. 

"  You  fence  as  cleverly  with  your  tongue  as  with 
your  sword,  Count.  What  do  you  want  to  know?" 

"  Nothing  that  cannot  be  told  me  voluntarily, 
mademoiselle.'' 

"  Why  do  we  all  trust  you  instinctively  ?  "  she  asked. 
A  quiet  feminine  thrust. 

"  I  am  happy  if  you  do,"  I  parried  ;  and  at  the  reply 
she  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  a  shadow  of  impatience 
crossed  her  expressive  face. 

There  was  a  pause,  in  which  she  looked  down  and 
played  with  her  fan. 

"  We  wish  to  trust  you  entirely,"  she  said  next,  in  a 
low,  earnest  voice.  "  The  Princess  wishes  it."  A  swift 
glance  shot  up  to  notice  the  effect  of  this. 

"  I  have  no  more  earnest  wish  in  life  than  to  serve 
the  Princess,"  I  declared,  the  words  coming  from  my 
heart. 

"  To  serve  her  is  to  serve  the  cause  of  freedom  and 
the  cause  of  Bulgaria." 

"  Freedom  as  the  Russians  interpret  it  ?  " 


;o  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Freedom  as  the  English  love  it,"  she  answered,  in 
a  tone  that  vibrated  with  enthusiasm,  her  eyes  flashing 
and  her  cheeks  colouring.  "  The  freedom  that  we  true 
Bulgarians  read  and  dream  of,  crave  and  would  die 
for,"  she  added,  her  voice  deep  and  low  with  feeling. 

A  long  pause  followed,  in  which  my  thoughts  were 
busy.  Had  the  Princess  Christina  inspired  this  feeling, 
and  was  this  strange  girl  an  agent  in  pressing  me  to 
join  such  a  movement?  My  heart  beat  fast  at  the 
thought. 

"Is  that  a  cause  you  would  serve,  Count?"  she 
asked. 

"  These  are  strange  things  to  hear  from  those  whom 
I  find  all  gathered  under  the  wings  of  the  Russian 
Eagle  !  "  I  said  cautiously. 

"  There  may  be  stranger  yet  to  hear,"  she  returned 
sharply. 

"  The  Prince  who  is  on  your  throne  is  no  friend  of 
Russia." 

"  The  Prince  has  never  gained  the  confidence  of  true 
Bulgarians.  The  men  he  keeps  about  him  are  patriots 
in  nothing  but  name  ;  and  he  has  neither  the  wit  to 
winnow  the  false  from  the  true,  nor  the  courage  to  set 
the  false  at  defiance." 

"  You  would  play  for  a  big  stake  ?  " 

"  And  make  our  lives  the  counters.  Is  not  that 
enough  ?  "  The  retort  was  given  with  a  show  of  bit- 
terness. "  You  English  are  cold  and  calculating." 

"We  are  cautious,  certainly." 

"  Yet  you  should  hate  the  Russians." 

"  No  one  has  accused  us  of  loving  them." 

She  made  another  pause  before  replying  : 

"  Perhaps  I  have  been  too  rash  and  have  surprised 
you ;  but  we  thought  from  what  Michel  told  me  of 


AT  THE  BALL  71 

what  passed  this  morning  at  your  house,  that — well, 
that  all  was  as  we  wished,  and  that  you  were  already 
with  us." 

"You  thought  this?"  I  asked,  purposely  putting 
an  emphasis  on  the  pronoun.  She  understood  me  and 
smiled. 

"The  Princess  and  I  both  thought  it,"  and  I  heard 
this  with  delight. 

"You  did  not  hear  more  than  the  truth,  mademoi- 
selle." 

"  Then  we  are  to  be  friends  in  it  all  ?  "  she  cried  ; 
and  her  face  was  radiant  with  pleasure  as  she  turned 
her  eyes  once  more  full  upon  me. 

"  Show  me  how  I  can  serve  the  Princess,  and  I  will 
do  it  with  my  whole  heart,  and  if  need  be  with  my 
life." 

"  She  will  be  here  to-night,  and  you  can  tell  her. 
The  news  will  have  the  pleasanter  savour  coming 
direct  from  you." 

She  knew  how  to  fire  me,  and  I  would  have  given 
half  my  fortune  to  have  known  what  lay  behind  the 
meaning  glance  of  her  eyes,  which  started  thoughts  I 
would  not  silence,  and  yet  dared  not  indulge. 

As  I  sat  there,  half  bewildered,  I  saw  a  tall,  fair,  truc- 
ulent-looking man  forcing  his  way  arrogantly  among 
the  people  and  coming  in  our  direction,  while  he 
looked  about  him  on  all  sides  in  search  of  someone. 

"  Who  is  that  ?  "     I  asked. 

"  A  man  to  fear,  Count — the  worst  enemy  we  have, 
Duke  Sergius.  A  man  whose  eyes  we  have  always  to 
blind." 

At  that  moment  he  caught  sight  of  my  companion 
and  he  hurried  his  pace,  a  heavy  frown  darkening  his 
sensual,  insolent  features. 


72  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  I  have  had  much  trouble  in  finding  you,  mademoi- 
selle. I  might  almost  have  thought  you  were  trying 
to  avoid  me.  The  waltz  we  were  to  dance  together 
has  commenced." 

Mademoiselle  Broumoff  smiled  ingenuously  at  him 
and  said : 

"  I  scarcely  thought  you  were  in  earnest  when  you 
put  my  name  on  your  programme.  You  do  not  gen- 
erally honour  me  by  remembering  it." 

"  I  have  something  particular  to  ask  you,"  he  replied, 
with  such  selfish  insolence  that  I  could  have  kicked 
him.  He  caught  something  of  this  expression  in  my 
face  as  he  looked  casually  at  me,  and  his  glance  deep- 
ened into  a  steady  stare  as  he  tried  to  frown  me  down. 
But  I  returned  his  look  with  one  in  which  I  tried  to 
convey  some  of  the  dislike  and  contempt  I  felt  at  his 
attitude,  and,  perceiving  it,  mademoiselle  rose  hastily, 
put  herself  between  us,  and  drew  his  attention  by 
placing  her  hand  on  his  arm  and  saying,  as  she  bowed 
to  me  : 

"  I  am  ready  now." 

As  they  moved  off  I  heard  him  ask  who  I  was,  but 
could  not  catch  the  reply. 

I  hated  the  look  of  the  man,  and  tried  to  persuade 
myself  that  the  feeling  was  not  in  any  way  prompted 
by  what  I  knew  about  his  design  upon  the  Princess 
Christina.  If  I  had  before  needed  any  inducement  to 
drive  me  into  opposition  to  him,  my  hasty  prejudice 
would  have  supplied  it ;  and  I  sat  now  absorbed  in 
thought,  chewing  the  cud  of  all  that  had  passed  be- 
tween the  Princess's  staunch  little  emissary  and  my- 
self, and  wishing  for  the  hour  and  the  means  to  thwart 
him.  They  would  come,  I  felt,  and  I  nursed  my  anger 
and  fed  my  animosity  as  I  sat  there  piecing  together 


AT  THE  BALL   .  73 

the  threads  of  the  net  that  was  closing  round  me,  and 
drawing  me  forward  upon  a  path  that  would  lead  I 
could  not  say  whither. 

Spernow's  voice  roused  me. 

"  You  are  not  dancing,  Count.  Won't  you  let  me 
find  you  some  partners?  There  are  plenty  here  who 
wish  to  know  you.  Well,  have  you  and  Nathalie 
had  an  interesting  conversation?  "  he  asked  in  a  lower 
voice,  dropping  into  the  seat  at  my  side.  "  I  know 
how  anxious  she  was  for  it." 

"  I  hope  great  things  from  it,"  I  answered. 

"  Are  you  to  be  presented  to  the  Princess  ?  " 

I  looked  at  him  in  surprise,  not  understanding  the 
question. 

"  Oh,  the  presentation  was  to  hinge  upon  the  result 
of  your  talk  with  her." 

"Then  probably  I  shall 'oe  presented,"  I  returned, 
smiling. 

"  Good,  very  good  ;  nothing  could  be  better,  indeed. 
Come,  then,  and  let  us  go  in  search  of  partners.  But 
don't  fill  up  your  card,  you  may  need  a  gap  or  two  in 
it  presently."  I  guessed  his  meaning,  but  said  nothing 
as  I  went  with  him  back  to  the  dancing  hall,  was 
introduced  to  several  people,  and"  for  an  hour  danced 
and  chatted  as  though  I  had  no  other  object  in  life. 

I  was  not  too  much  engrossed  by  my  partners,  how- 
ever, to  miss  the  entrance  of  the  Princess  Christina, 
and  more  than  once  when  I  passed  close  to  her  in  the 
course  of  a  dance  I  caught  her  gaze  fixed  upon  me 
with  evident  interest.  Once  especially  was  I  certain 
of  this,  when  she  and  Mademoiselle  BroumofT  were  in 
close  and  earnest  conversation  ;  and  it  was  with  a  thrill 
of  pleasure  that  I  felt  that  I  was  the  subject  of  their 
talk. 


74  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

Soon  after  this  Spernow  came  to  me  and  said  that 
the  Princess  was  anxious  that  I  should  be  presented 
to  her ;  and  with  a  fast-quickening  pulse  I  went  with 
him  to  where  she  and  her  companion  were  sitting. 

Almost  directly  I  had  made  my  bow  Mademoiselle 
Broumoff  rose  and  said  to  Spernow : 

"  This  is  our  dance,  Michel,"  and  as  the  pair  went 
away  I  took  her  place  by  the  side  of  the  beautiful 
woman  who  exercised  so  overpowering  a  fascination 
upon  me. 

"  A  more  conventional  meeting  than  our  first,  Count," 
she  said. 

"  A  very  brilliant  scene,"  I  replied  naively  ;  for  now 
that  I  was  alone  with  her  I  felt  like  a  tongue-tied 
clown.  My  stupid  answer  surprised  her,  as  well  it 
might,  and  I  saw  a  look  of  perplexity  cross  her  face. 
After  an  awkward  pause,  I  added :  "  Your  coming 
then  saved  my  life." 

"  Scarcely  that ;  but  I  have  since  heard  the  particu- 
lars of  that  matter,  and  I  have  been  ashamed  that  you 
should  have  suffered  such  treatment  in  my  name.  I 
am  glad  of  an  opportunity  of  assuring  you  of  my 
regret." 

"  I  would  gladly  suffer  much  worse  on  your  behalf," 
I  blurted  out  nervously,  and  the  answer  brought  an- 
other pause,  during  which  I  struggled  hard  to  over- 
come my  embarrassment  and  self-consciousness.  I 
desired  above  all  things  in  the  world  to  win  the  favour 
of  my  companion,  and  yet  I  sat  like  a  fool,  at  a  loss 
for  the  mere  commonplaces  of  conversation.  She 
would  think  me  a  dolt  or  an  idiot. 

How  long  my  stupid  silence  would  have  lasted  I 
cannot  tell ;  but  the  Princess  in  a  movement  of  her 
fan  dropped  her  dance  card,  and,  in  returning  it  to  her 


AT  THE  BALL  75 

I  looked  up,  and  caught  her  eyes  upon  me  lighted  with 
a  rare  smile. 

"  Do  you  return  it  to  me  without  your  name  upon 
it  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  May  I  have  the  honour?"  I  murmured. 

"What  is  a  ball  for,  but  dancing?"  she  smiled. 
"  But  if  you  write  your  name  there  it  will  be  a  sign 
and  token." 

"  Of  what  ?  "  I  asked  stupidly. 

"  Of  much  that  my  dear  little  friend  Mademoiselle 
Broumoff  tells  me  she  has  said  to  you  to-night." 

"What  is  a  ball  for,  but  dancing?"  I  repeated  her 
words  as  I  took  the  card  and  wrote  my  initials  against 
a  waltz.  "  It  will  make  the  dance  memorable  to  me," 
I  added,  under  my  breath. 

"  I  shall  read  it  for  one  thing  as  a  token  that  you 
have  acquitted  me  of  all  responsibility  for  the  scene  at 
General  Kolfort's  house." 

"  There  was  no  need  for  any  token  of  that,  Princess," 
I  replied,  beginning  to  shake  off  my  paralysing  ner- 
vousness. 

"And  of  the  rest?" 

"  That  I  desire  nothing  better  than  to  be  enrolled 
among  your  friends."  I  spoke  from  my  heart  then, 
and  the  words  pleased  her.  , 

"  There  may  be  many  dangers,  and  more  difficulties." 

"  I  am  prepared  for  both — if  I  can  serve  you."  I 
looked  straight  at  her  for  the  first  time,  and  her  eyes 
fell. 

"  I  could  have  no  more  welcome  friend,"  she  said 
softly. 

This  time  the  pause  that  followed  was  due  as  much 
to  her  embarrassment  as  to  mine,  and  I  noted  this  with 
a  touch  of  delight. 


76  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  You  had  a  long  conference  with  General  Kolfort  ?  " 
she  asked,  a  minute  later. 

"  Yes ;  he  threatened  me  with  all  the  power  of  his 
enmity  if  I  did  not  decide  to  ally  myself  on  his  side, 
and  gave  me  a  week  in  which  to  do  so  or  leave  the 
country." 

"  And  your  decision  ?  "  she  asked  quickly. 

"  Has  been  made  to-night." 

"To  do  what?" 

"To  devote  myself  without  reserve  to  your  in- 
terests." 

"  I  am  glad — and  proud." 

No  answer  that  she  could  have  made  could  have 
filled  me  with  more  supreme  pleasure. 

"  I  had  feared  a  quite  different  result  from  news 
which  reached  me  to-day.  You  know  your  affairs  are 
pretty  freely  discussed  just  now." 

"  What  news  was  that  ?  " 

"  I  heard  that  you  had  received  a  captain's  commis- 
sion in  the  Prince's  own  household  regiment.  Is  that 
so?" 

"  It  was  unsolicited  by  me  ;  and  I  learnt  it  only  to- 
day. I  have  not  yet  accepted  it.  I  am  to  see  His 
Highness  to-morrow." 

"  You  will  find  him  a  good  man,  but  sorely  dis- 
tracted by  doubts  and  fears.  All  willing  to  serve 
Bulgaria  ;  but  afraid  of  Russian  influence,  and  unable 
to  choose  good  advisers  here.  His  nerves  have  been 
shaken  by  the  plots  against  his  life,  and  his  judgment 
shattered  till  he  cannot  appraise  the  men  about  him. 
Were  matters  different  he  would  be  an  ideal  ruler  for  us." 

"  And  what  of  the  other  influences  round  him?  "  I 
asked  guardedly ;  but  she  understood  me  and  replied 
openly : 


AT  THE  BALL  77 

"  You  mean  the  woman  whose  life  you  saved.  I  can- 
not understand  her.  Her  ruling  passion  seems  to  be 
her  hate  of  me.  And  a  woman  with  a  passion,  be  it 
jealousy,  hate,  or  love,  is  no  safe  guide."  I  detected  a 
note  of  sadness  in  her  tone.  "  You  ran  a  great  risk 
that  night,  Count,  a  fearful  risk." 

"  There  was  little  danger  that  I  saw." 

"  I  do  not  mean  the  seen  danger ;  that  may  have 
been  small  for  a  man  whose  bravery  and  skill  with 
weapons  are  such  as  yours.  But  the  unseen  dangers — 
the  consequences  that  may  always  pursue  and  overtake 
you  when  you  least  think  of  them.  It  is  such  terrible 
deeds  as  that  which  fill  me  with  dismay  and  dread  of 
the  future.  How  can  a  cause  hope  to  prosper,  the 
foundations  of  which  are  secret  murder,  implacable 
violence,  and  such  desperate  bloodshed  ?  And  these 
things  are  done  in  my  name,  and  apparently  with  my 
sanction.  Did  not  General  Kolfort  threaten  you  with 
the  consequences  of  your  act  ?  " 

"Yes,  but  I  do  not  take  his  threats  too  seriously.  It 
is  one  thing  to  assassinate  a  Bulgarian  woman,  another 
to  murder  a  British  subject." 

"  When  you  have  been  longer  in  this  distracted 
country  you  will  see  the  distinction  differently.  But 
we  must  talk  no  longer  in  this  strain  here.  Too  many 
eyes  are  upon  us  and  too  many  ears  open.  Balls  are 
for  dancing,  Count,"  she  added  in  a  light  tone  and  with 
a  smile. 

I  understood  that  I  was  dismissed,  and  rose  and 
walked  away.  I  was  in  no  mood  for  dancing,  and  I 
went  into  one  of  the  conservatories  to  think  over  what 
had  passed  between  us,  and  remained  there  until  it  was 
time  to  claim  her  for  the  waltz  she  had  promised  me. 

We  danced  it  almost  in  silence,  save  for  a  common- 


78  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

place  or  two  about  the  ball  and  the  people  present ; 
but  at  the  close  she  said  earnestly  : 

"  I  am  leaving  almost  directly.  I  shall  be  at  home 
to-morrow  afternoon,  and  shall  be  interested  to  know 
your  impressions  of  the  Prince."  Then  in  a  lower 
voice:  "You  must  be  careful,  Count.  Accept  the 
commission  in  the  regiment ;  but  do  not  pledge  your- 
self to  His  Highness's  service.  You  will  not  find  it 
necessary.  Maintain  as  strict  a  neutrality  as  possible  ; 
and  then  see  General  Kolfort  and  tell  him  what  you 
are  doing.  It  might  be  well  to  see  him  before  you  go 
to  the  Palace.  Emphasise  the  fact  of  your  British 
nationality.  You  have  a  difficult  part  to  play  ;  how 
difficult  you  do  not  yet  see,  perhaps.  But  your  suc- 
cess and  your  safety  will  always  be  of  the  deepest  con- 
cern to  me.  Remember  that,  always." 

She  spoke  earnestly,  and  in  her  eyes,  as  I  glanced 
into  them,  I  saw  again  that  look  of  solicitude  which  at 
our  previous  meeting  had  moved  me  so  strangely. 

And  the  sweetness  of  her  voice,  the  touch  of  her 
hand,  and  the  tender  softness  of  her  glance,  were 
haunting  me  all  through  the  night,  and  urging  me  to  I 
know  not  what  strenuous  efforts  in  her  behalf. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

AT   THE   PALACE 

THE  next  morning  I  was  up  early  and  went  for  a  long 
ride.  It  was  likely  to  be  a  critical  day  for  me,  and  I 
had  to  try  and  look  well  ahead  to  see  where  I  was 
being  carried  by  the  new  set  of  the  tide  in  my  affairs. 

My  conversation  with  the  Princess  Christina  had 
had  a  great  effect  upon  me.  For  one  thing  it  had 
made  me  more  resolved  than  ever  to  devote  myself  to 
her,  whatever  might  be  the  consequences ;  but  her 
words  of  warning,  her  evident  belief  that  there  was 
danger  for  me,  and  above  all  her  pleasure  at  my 
declaration  of  loyalty  to  her,  had  roused  all  my  in- 
stincts of  caution,  while  they  had  strengthened  my 
feelings  towards  her. 

She  was  shrewd,  clear-cut  in  her  views  of  men  and 
things,  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Bulgaria,  and  openly 
allied  to  the  Russian  party,  whose  rough  and  violent 
methods  she  had  nevertheless  so  indignantly  decried. 
What  then  was  her  object  ?  Was  she  playing  the 
doubly  hazardous  game  of  attempting  to  use  the  Rus- 
sian influence  and  power  for  an  end  opposed  to  theirs? 

That  was  the  only  solution  I  could  see.  And  it  was 
one  which  I  knew  must  involve  her  in  a  course  fraught 
with  such  peril,  that  only  a  woman  of  iron  nerve  and 
implacable  will  could  contemplate  it  without  fear. 
And  yet  she  was  brave  enough  to  take  such  a  course 
without,  so  far  as  I  knew,  a  single  man  trained  in  statw- 

79 


8o  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

craft  and  intrigue  to  help  her.  Could  I  take  such  a 
role?  The  mere  thought  of  the  possibility  filled  me 
with  enthusiasm  not  unmixed  with  much  embarrass- 
ment. 

If  my  surmise  was  right,  I  felt  that  her  scheme  was 
just  that  which  our  Foreign  Office  would  do  their 
utmost  to  assist ;  and,  in  helping  her  to  gain  the  throne 
on  such  terms,  I  should  be  fulfilling  in  the  best  pos- 
sible way  the  object  of  my  presence  in  the  country. 
But  I  knew,  too,  that  open  help  from  the  British  Gov- 
ernment was  impossible.  That  had  been  made  unmis- 
takably plain  to  me,  and  I  must  make  it  equally  clear  to 
her.  Her  advice  to  make  the  most  of  my  British 
nationality  might  have  been  prompted  by  a  belief  that 
our  Government  would  help  her,  and  I  must  show  her 
the  groundlessness  of  any  such  hope. 

At  the  same  time,  the  course  she  had  indicated 
agreed  best  with  my  own  views :  to  maintain  an  open 
neutrality  between  the  contending  sections  while  de- 
voting myself  to  her  interests.  Her  whole  object  must 
be  put  fully  before  me,  however ;  and  I  resolved  to 
speak  very  frankly  that  afternoon.  The  prospect  of 
the  close  association  with  her  was  infinitely  alluring, 
and  it  required  more  than  a  single  effort  to  drag  my 
thoughts  away  from  dwelling  upon  this  to  the  more 
practical  consideration  of  other  matters.  To  secure 
that  friendship  I  would  willingly  venture  all  that  I 
had  in  the  world ;  and  I  had  but  to  think  of  it  for  my 
heart  to  be  thrilled  and  my  senses  dazzled. 

But  what  of  the  Duke  Sergius  and  the  story  of  the 
secret  betrothal  ?  The  man  was  a  selfish,  sensual  brute, 
as  I  had  seen  for  myself.  Was  it  possible  that  she 
would  even  go  to  the  length  of  sacrificing  herself  in  a 
marriage  with  such  a  man  to  secure  her  end  ?  Then  I 


AT  THE  PALACE  Si 

recalled  a  sentence  of  Mademoiselle  BroumofTs :  "A 
man  whose  eyes  we  have  always  to  blind;"  and  I 
repeated  it  over  and  over  again,  till  at  last  I  grew  to 
read  it  by  the  light  of  my  own  wild,  vague  thoughts 
and  hopes — that  there  was  no  betrothal,  but  that  the 
pretended  agreement  to  it  was  a  part  of  the  subtler 
plot  which  my  Princess  was  weaving.  The  thought  of 
such  a  betrothal  was  maddening  to  me,  and  I  worked 
myself  up  until  I  thought  I  would  rather  pick  a  quarrel 
with  him  and  run  him  through  the  heart  than  see  her 
condemned  to  be  the  wife  of  such  a  brute. 

I  was  cooler,  however,  when  I  returned  to  my  hotel, 
and  my  wits  were  clear  and  wary  enough  as  I  set  out 
for  General  Kolfort's  house.  I  was  well  received,  but 
he  made  haste  to  show  me  that  he  knew  already  of  the 
fact  of  my  captain's  commission. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Count  BenderofT — or  shall  I 
say  Captain?" 

"  Choose  your  own  form  of  salutation,  General.  It 
was  of  that  matter  I  came  to  see  you,"  I  returned. 

"Is  that  all?" 

"All?"  I  asked,  as  if  in  astonishment. 

"  Do  you  accept  the  commission  in  the  service  of  the 
Prince — or  rather  of  the  lady  who  has  offered  it  you — 
or  in  mine?" 

"  In  neither ;  but  as  an  honour  offered  to  a  rich 
British  subject  who  has  taken  up  permanent  residence 
in  Sofia."  His  shrewd  old  eyes  lighted  at  this  reply, 
which  he  had  certainly  not  expected. 

"  So  that  is  your  line,  eh  ?  "  he  said  drily.  "  Con- 
sidering that  they  know  nothing  of  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Winthrop's  existence,  they  have  acted  a  little  by  acci- 
dent in  honouring  a  British  subject.  Don't  you 

think  so  ?  " 
fi 


82  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

I  smiled.  "  At  any  rate  they  have  made  me  the  offer, 
and  I  have  decided  to  accept  it.  But  I  preferred  to 
come  and  tell  you,  after  our  interesting  little  conversa- 
tion of  three  days  ago." 

"  That  means,  then,  you  will  remain  in  Sofia  ?  " 

"  My  house  is  nearly  ready  for  my  occupation,  and  I 
shall  hope  to  be  honoured  by  your  presence  in  it  as  my 
guest." 

"  Umph  !  You  have  not  forgotten  our  conversation, 
I  see." 

"  It  was  scarcely  one  to  be  forgotten." 

"  And  I  understand  you  claim  the  rights  of  a  British 
subject." 

"  I  am  half  a  Roumanian,  General,  with  considerable 
possessions  there,"  I  returned,  equivocally. 

"  You  are  a  very  ambitious,  or  a  very  reckless,  or  a 
very  clever  young  man,  Count.  You  have  thought  over 
your  course  well  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  given  to  act  on  impulse." 

"  Yet  cleverer  men  than  you  have  tried  unsuccess- 
fully the  dangerous  policy  of  attempting  to  ride  on  two 
horses  at  once." 

"  I  can  but  fail,"  I  answered,  indifferently. 

"  Then  you  decline  to  enrol  yourself  in  my  service  ?  " 

"  I  neither  decline  nor  accept,  General."  The  reply 
was  unwelcome,  and  he  sat  a  moment  with  brows 
knitted. 

"  You  will  fail,  sir,  as  certainly  as  you  make  the  at- 
tempt. But  I  must  know,  in  view  of  future  possibilities, 
whether  you  claim  the  status  of  a  British  subject  or  that 
of  a  Roumanian  Count,  or  whether,  again,  I  am  to  re- 
gard you  merely  as  a  captain  in  a  Bulgarian  regiment." 

"  I  shall  be  in  the  unique  position  of  enjoying  all 
three,"  said  I,  and  noticed  with  some  amusement  the 


AT  THE  PALACE  83 

effect  of  this  answer  ;  and  then  added  with  a  laugh,  and 
in  a  light  tone :  "  I  don't  expect  you  to  take  me  too 
seriously,  General  Kolfort." 

"  If  you  are  a  British  subject,  I  can  ask  your  Govern- 
ment to  recall  you  ;  if  a  Roumanian  Count,  I  can  use 
other  influence  to  deal  with  you  ;  while,  if  you  are 
merely  a  Bulgarian  officer,  you  will  be  responsible  to 
me  for  the  deed  which  you  have  already  committed." 
His  tone  was  tense,  concentrated,  and  full  of  earnestness. 
"  Understand  me  ;  I  do  not  alter.  If  you  will  not  join 
me,  you  shall  not  stay  in  Bulgaria.  I  am  not  to  be  trifled 
with." 

"  I  can  appreciate  that,  for  you  have  already  had  my 
correspondence  tampered  with,  in  order  to  prevent  cer- 
tain news  reaching  England.  I  have  committed  no  act 
for  which  I  am  not  quite  prepared  to  answer — openly ; 
and  all  I  demand  is  that  fair  play  which  we  English 
claim  as  the  right  of  all — whether  English,  Roumanian, 
or  Bulgarian." 

He  listened  to  this  with  a  grim  smile  on  his  hard  face. 

"  You  mean  that  you  are  ready  to  risk  breaking  your- 
self on  the  wheel.  Very  well ;  I  confess  I  looked  for 
a  somewhat  different  decision,  judging  by  what  has 
passed  in  the  last  two  days — your  conversations 
with  various  people  ;  but  remember,  and,  indeed,  you 
are  not  likely  to  forget,  what  I  have  told  you  is  my  firm 
resolve.  If  you  stay,  you  must  join  us." 

I  left  him  then,  feeling  that  I  had  created  pretty 
much  the  impression  I  desired — that,  in  dealing  with 
me,  he  would  have  to  regard  me  as  a  British  subject ; 
and  that,  coupled  with  the  fact  of  my  increasingly  close 
relations  with  the  Princess  and  those  about  her,  would 
suffice  to  secure  my  safety  for  a  time. 

With  the  reigning  Prince  I  was  at  a  loss  what  line  to 


84  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

take.  It  was  difficult  to  decide  beforehand  ;  but  I  was 
resolved  to  go  to  the  length  of  refusing  the  captaincy  in 
the  regiment  if  the  conditions  attached  to  its  accept- 
ance were  in  any  way  embarrassing  to  my  freedom. 

But  my  interview  with  him  was  a  surprise  to  me. 

He  received  me  alone,  and  spoke  with  a  freedom  I 
had  not  expected,  giving  as  the  reason  for  his  attitude 
my  rescue  of  the  Countess  Bokara  ;  and  when  I  told 
him  as  I  did,  for  there  was  now  no  longer  any  reason 
for  concealing  the  fact,  that  I  was  an  Englishman,  his 
frankness  increased.  He  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that 
I  had  some  sort  of  credentials  from  the  British  Govern- 
ment, and  it  was  only  with  difficulty  that  I  disabused 
him  of  the  idea. 

He  had  the  most  engaging  personality  of  any  man  I 
ever  met.  He  was  strikingly  handsome;  every  move- 
ment was  marked  by  a  courtly  but  unstudied  and 
natural  grace  ;  his  voice  was  toned  in  perfect  accord 
with  his  courteous  and  kindly  bearing;  and  his  manner 
so  sympathetically  receptive  as  to  impress  you  with  the 
conviction  that  all  you  said  had  the  utmost  interest  and 
importance  for  him.  A  courtier  to  the  finger-tips,  and 
yet  withal  a  prince,  it  was  impossible  not  to  be  charmed 
with  him.  I  might  have  been  his  most  intimate  friend 
instead  of  the  merest  stranger  who  had  come  to  thank 
him  for  a  favour  just  bestowed.  There  was  something 
lacking,  however — strength  ;  and  therein,without  doubt, 
lay  the  secret  of  his  failure. 

"  What  reason  can  a  wealthy  Englishman  have  for 
settling  in  a  place  like  this,  unless  he  bears  a  commis- 
sion of  some  kind  ?  "  he  asked,  while  indulging  his  hope 
that  I  was  indeed  charged  with  the  duty  of  aiding  him. 

"  Had  I  such  a  mission,  your  Highness,  should  I  not 
have  come  straight  to  you  ?  " 


AT  THE  PALACE  85 

"  I  suppose  so,  but  yet  it  seems  strange.  I  suppose 
they  know  in  England  how  matters  are  with  me,  and 
what  must  eventually  happen  if  nothing  is  done." 

"  All  Europe  knows  of  the  difficulties  of  your  posi- 
tion," I  answered  diplomatically. 

"  And  all  Europe  does  nothing  but  look  on  with 
folded  hands,  leaving  me  helpless  to  kick  against  the 
pricks.  Do  they  think  I  bear  a  charmed  life  to  with- 
stand for  ever  the  plots  against  my  life  that  are  being 
daily  formed,  and  that  I  can  go  on  for  ever  avoiding 
the  poison  or  the  dagger  or  the  bullet  that  my  enemies 
have  ever  in  readiness  for  me  ?  Do  they  take  me  for 
a  zealot  so  tired  of  living  that  I  am  willing  to  keep  my 
life  always  on  offer  to  the  first  hand  daring  and  shrewd 
enough  to  take  it  ?  And  all  this  for  a  freedom  which 
they  mouth  about  and  will  not  help,  and  for  a  people 
who  have  been  corrupted  to  hate  me,  though  I  have 
doubled  their  country,  led  them  to  victory,  and  saved 
them  from  overwhelming  disasters.  By  Heaven  !  the 
ingratitude  of  this  people  is  as  colossal  as  their  selfish- 
ness." 

I  said  nothing,  and  in  a  moment  his  bitterness 
passed,  and  he  smiled. 

"  This  is  poor  hearing  for  one  who  has  come  gen- 
erously to  offer  me  his  services,  and  who  has  already 
placed  me  under  a  load  of  obligation.  But  at  least  I 
will  be  frank  with  you,  Count  Benderoff.  I  can  give 
you  this  commission,  give  it  gladly,  and  welcome  you 
for  what  I  believe  you  to  be — an  honourable  man  ;  but 
your  services  are  of  no  use  to  me.  They  come  too 
late— too  late." 

"  I  do  not  understand  your  Highness." 

"It  shall  not  be  for  want  of  plain  dealing  with  you, 
then.  The  dear  friend  whose  life  you  saved,  and  who 


86  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

has  brought  you  to  me,  is  urging — the  impossible.  She 
does  not  know  it,  or  cannot  realise  it,  or  will  not — what 
you  will ;  but,  mark  me  well,  my  days  in  this  ungrate- 
ful country  are  numbered.  You  will  not  use  the  in- 
formation I  give  you — but  I  have  resolved  to  abdicate." 

"  To  abdicate?"  I  cried,  for  this  was  news  indeed. 

"  Yes  ;  to  abdicate.  That  is  my  fixed  and  irrevoca- 
ble resolve.  Had  you  brought  me  the  promise  of  help 
from  England,  I  would  stay  and  fight  it  out,  and  strive 
to  realise  those  high  hopes  with  which,  under  God,  I 
declare  I  accepted  the  throne.  But  what  can  I  do 
alone,  or  almost  alone,  against  a  people  who  plot  and 
plan  to  depose  or  murder  me,  who  have  tired  already 
of  the  puppet  ruler  which  other  Powers  imposed  upon 
them,  and  against  the  cursed  canker  of  this  Russian 
intrigue  ?  In  all  the  land  I  cannot  now  tell  who  is 
friend  and  who  foe.  In  my  very  household  the  air 
reeks  with  conspiracy  and  intrigue.  I  know  not 
whether  any  man  I  meet  by  chance  may  not  be  sent 
to  do  murder.  I  never  lie  down  at  night  without  won- 
dering whether  I  shall  see  the  next  morning's  sun.  I 
never  taste  a  meal  without  the  thought  of  poison.  I 
never  speak  a  word  without  the  expectation  that  it  will 
be  carried  to  the  ears  of  my  implacable  and  ruthless 
foes.  And  never  a  sun  rises  and  sets  again  without  I 
know  that  the  deadly  work  of  corruption  has  been  car- 
ried a  stage  farther." 

"  Such  thoughts  as  these,  your  Highness,  grow  by 
brooding." 

"  Good  God,  man,  they  are  the  natural  germs  with 
which  this  Eastern  air  is  crowded  and  polluted.  No, 
no ;  these  are  no  idle  fears.  Russia  is  relentless,  and 
I  am  powerless  to  resist  her.  I  will  not  be  her  tool. 
I  could  stay  in  safety  and  in  what  the  world  calls  pomp 


AT  THE  PALACE  87 

and  honour,  a  great  Prince,  if  I  would  but  stoop  to 
do  her  bidding.  I  will  not  ;  and  therefore  my  choice  to 
abdicate  or  die.  Would  God  it  could  have  been  dif- 
ferent ! " 

I  was  silent  in  the  rush  of  thoughts  these  utterances 
roused. 

"  You  will  not  tell  the  Countess  Bokara  this  ?  It  is 
my  grief,  the  bitterest  irony  of  all  my  position,  that  I 
am  driven  thus  to  mislead  the  one  friend  who  has  been 
staunch  to  me,  the  truest  friend  God  ever  gave  to  a 
disappointed  man,  a  foiled  and  thwarted  Prince.  I 
have  told  you — it  will,  indeed,  be  public  knowledge  in 
a  few  weeks  from  now,  and  Europe  will  reap  the  crop 
which  her  vacillation  has  sown — that  you  may  not  be 
buoyed  up  with  false  hopes  from  this  grant  of  the 
commission.  It  would  be  a  Greek  gift,  indeed,  did  I 
not  tell  you  the  truth — that  you  have  nothing  to  hope 
from  it.  I  can  guess,  of  course,  what  the  result  will 
be.  You  will  be  drawn  to  the  Russian  net.  That  is 
a  vortex  which  sucks  in  everything." 

"What  is  that?" 

I  turned  like  a  needle  to  the  magnet  as  I  heard  the 
ringing  tones  of  the  Countess  Bokara,  who  had  entered 
the  room  unknown  to  us. 

"Who  will  join  the  Russian  party — you,  Count  Ben- 
deroff  ?  "  she  cried  eagerly,  almost  fiercely,  as  she  came 
quickly  forward.  "  No.  Prince,  I  will  answer  for  him. 
He  dare  not,"  she  added. 

"  How  much  did  you  hear,  Anna  ?  "  he  asked  rather 
uneasily. 

"  Enough  to  rouse  my  indignation,  that  was  all." 

"  I  was  telling  the  Count  that  there  is  no  hope  to  be 
gained  in  my  service,  and  there  is  but  one  side  here 
for  a  man  of  action." 


88  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Prince,  Prince,  why  will  you  always  damp  the 
enthusiasm  of  those  who  would  be  your  friends  and 
adherents  ?  Why  this  constant  tone  of  depression  ? 
These  everlasting  fears  and  forebodings?  There  is  no 
cause  for  them,  Count.  We  are  on  the  eve  of  a  stroke 
that  will  change  everything — everything — and  foil 
these  coward  traitors  and  restore  in  all  its  former 
strength  the  Prince's  influence.  There  is  no  monopoly 
of  craft  and  guile  in  these  Russians  !  A  clear  head,  a 
strong  hand,a  loyal  heart,  and  a  daring  sword, can  change 
all.  We  are  not  so  hopeless  but  that  a  clever  coup  can 
save  our  cause  and  make  us  once  again  all-powerful." 

The  Prince  threw  up  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of 
weakness. 

"  It  is  too  late,"  he  murmured,  despondently.  "  Too 
late." 

"  It  shall  never  be  too  late  while  I  live,"  she  cried, 
desperately.  "  It  shall  never  be  said  that  you  were 
beaten  by  a  woman.  Force  her  from  the  path,  by  fair 
means  or  foul — and  forced  she  shall  be — and  all  the 
flimsy  superstructure  of  this  clumsy  plot  falls  like  a 
shattered  dream.  Never  shall  Bulgaria  be  crushed 
beneath  that  woman's  heel  while  I  have  strength  in  my 
right  arm,  or  there  remains  a  knife  or  a  bullet  in  all  the 
land.  I  swear  it." 

She  uttered  the  vengeful  words  with  all  the  vehe- 
ment force  of  her  violent  temper,  and  as  I  looked  at 
her  I  could  see  the  thoughts  of  murder  lighting  her 
strained,  glowing  features,  and  brightly  gleaming  eyes. 

But  while  they  stirred  repugnance  in  me  they  seemed 
only  to  add  to  the  Prince's  despondency. 

"  There  has  been  too  much  blood  shed  already,"  he 
said,  in  a  tone  of  rebuke. 

"  Too  much  ;  aye,  so  much  that    one  woman's  life 


THE    COUNT    HAS    MY    PERMISSION    TO    RETIRE.'' Page  8$. 


AT  THE  PALACE  89 

more  will  make  no  difference.  So  they  thought  when 
they  planned  that  mine  should  be  the  life — and  shall  I 
be  softer  than  they  ?  " 

The  Prince  looked  at  me  with  an  expression  I  was 
quick  to  read,  and  I  made  a  movement  as  if  to  leave. 

"  I  shall  see  you  again  shortly,  Count,  and  you  will 
take  up  your  military  duties  at  your  early  convenience. 
Meanwhile,  I  depend  upon  your  discretion.  All  that 
you  have  heard  here  is  for  yourself  alone." 

"  Absolutely.  I  understand,"  I  answered,  and  took 
my  leave. 

"  You  cannot  go  like  this,"  broke  in  the  Countess. 
"  I  have  yet  much  to  say  to  you.  I  need  your  advice 
and  help." 

"  Madame,  I  have  urgent  matters  that  call  for  atten- 
tion immediately,"  I  replied,  and  the  Prince  thanked 
me  with  a  look. 

"  And  are  not  these  matters  urgent  ?  "  she  cried, 
indignantly. 

"  The  Count  has  my  permission  to  retire,"  said  the 
Prince,  with  sudden  dignity. 

"  When  do  you  return,  sir  ?  "  asked  the  Countess.  "  I 
must  see  you  at  once.  I  cannot  brook  delay.  I  am  on 
fire  when  I  think  of  all  you  must  help  me  to  achieve." 

"  My  duties  will  bring  me  here  constantly  ; "  and  as 
I  withdrew  I  could  not  decide  whether  my  admiration 
of  her  courage  and  staunchness  to  the  Prince  or  my 
loathing  of  the  deadly  methods  by  which  she  was  pre- 
pared to  prove  it  were  the  greater.  Admirable  as  a 
friend,  she  was  hateful  as  a  woman  ;  and  as  she  watched 
me  go  she  appeared  like  a  beautiful  dangerous  fiend, 
till  her  face  turned  to  the  Prince  and  her  eyes  glowed 
with  the  intense  love  for  him  which  was  the  inspiring 
passion  of  her  strange,  reckless  nature. 


CHAPTER   IX 

"I    HAVE   UNBOUNDED   FAITH   IN   YOU" 

ALL  my  impressions  of  the  interview  with  the  Prince 
were  quickly  overshadowed  by  the  one  overpowering 
fear  that  the  Princess  was  in  imminent  personal  danger 
from  the  fury  of  the  Countess  Bokara.  The  Princess 
was  regarded  by  her  as  the  central  pivot  on  which  the 
whole  Russian  intrigue  turned,  and  to  take  her  life 
was  the  openly  avowed  object  of  that  dangerous 
woman's  passion. 

That  any  attempt  would  be  subtly  planned  and  fear- 
lessly carried  out  I  knew  well  enough,  and  it  was  for 
the  perfecting  of  such  a  scheme  that  she  sought  my 
help.  This  was  indeed  the  crowning  irony  of  the  situ- 
ation. I,  who  would  give  my  life  to  save  the  Prin- 
cess's, was  to  be  this  reckless  fury's  accomplice  in  a 
plot  to  murder  her,  in  order  to  keep  on  the  throne  a 
Prince  who  had  solemnly  declared  to  me  his  unalter- 
able decision  to  resign  it. 

Yet  there  was  one  ray  of  consolation.  It  was  prob- 
able that  I  should  be  able  to  hold  her  scheme  in  check 
long  enough  to  secure  the  safety  of  her  intended 
victim,  and  I  could  at  once  urge  upon  the  latter  the 
necessity  for  the  greatest  caution.  It  was  with  this 
thought  in  my  mind  that  I  made  my  visit  to  the 
Princess  in  the  afternoon. 

Her  house  was  a  large  one  standing  by  itself  in  the 
90 


"  I  HAVE  UNBOUNDED  FAITH  IN  YOU  "  91 

centre  of  the  town,  and  I  scanned  it  curiously.  I 
noticed  with  satisfaction  that  great  precautions  had 
been  taken.  All  the  windows  in  the  lower  part  were 
barred  heavily ;  and  the  defences  might  have  been 
planned  with  the  express  view  of  preventing  just  such 
an  attempt  as  was  in  contemplation.  The  Russians 
had  obviously  done  the  work,  knowing  the  need  for 
guarding  jealously  the  woman  on  whom  so  much 
depended. 

On  that  score  I  had  no  apprehensions,  therefore,  and 
I  resolved  to  question  the  Princess  closely  as  to  the 
state  of  affairs  within,  and  whether  she  was  absolutely 
sure  of  those  who  formed  her  household. 

She  received  me  very  graciously. 

"  Your  interview  with  the  Prince  has  made  you 
thoughtful,  Count,"  she  said,  after  a  few  minutes. 
"Was  my  forecast  right?  and  what  have  you  done?" 

"  I  have  accepted  the  commission  in  his  regiment, 
but  I  have  not  pledged  myself  to  support  his  cause — 
indeed,  he  said  that  I  should  probably  find  myself 
bound  in  the  end  to  commit  myself  to  the  Russian 
party." 

"  It  is  singular  that  a  man  who  showed  himself  so 
brave,  and  at  first  so  capable,  should  be  unable  to  read 
what  is  as  plain  as  a  book  to  other  people." 

"  His  reading  is  that  the  one  possible  future  for  the 
country  is  for  it  to  pass  into  the  power  of  Russia." 

"  I  know  that.  It  is  his  besetting  weakness."  She 
said  this  very  thoughtfully,  and  then  her  face  and  eyes 
lighted  as  she  added  with  vehemence :  "  And  it  is 
wrong — utterly  and  wholly  wrong.  The  merest  coun- 
sel of  despair.  By  the  help  of  Heaven  we  will  live  to 
prove  it  so ;  and  if  I  have  not  counted  on  you  in  vain, 
you  shall  help  us  in  the  glorious  work." 


92  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

She  turned  her  eyes  upon  me  with  a  look  that  in- 
fected  me  with  her  enthusiasm.  "You  will  help  us, 
will  you  not?  " 

"  With  everything  I  possess,  even  to  my  life." 

"  I  know  it ;  I  am  sure  of  you.  Would  to  heaven 
we  had  more  men  like  you  with  us !  I  am  going  to 
trust  you — put  perhaps  our  lives  in  your  keeping, 
for  I  know  well  enough  the  dangers  of  the  work.  But 
I  trust  you — absolutely."  She  held  out  her  hand  as 
she  said  this  with  an  air  and  tone  of  implicit  confi- 
dence, and  I  carried  her  fingers  to  my  lips. 

"  Show  me  how  to  help,"  I  said,  my  voice  unsteady 
with  emotion. 

"  Openly  we  are  all  allied  to  the  Russians  in  a  scheme 
which  is  to  make  me  the  reigning  Princess,  independent 
of  all  Russian  influence.  This  is  the  veil  which  hides 
their  real  intentions.  Secretly  there  is  an  engagement 
that  I  shall  become  the  wife  of  the  Duke  Sergius, 
admitting  him  to  a  half  share  of  the  throne,  and  thus 
Russianising  it  completely.  To  make  sure  of  me,  it 
is  arranged  that  we  be  married  secretly,  the  union  only 
to  be  announced  after  my  accession.  The  object  for 
this  is  of  course  to  bind  me  irrevocably  to  them  before- 
hand ;  and  it  is  expected  that  while  I  am  seemingly 
independent,  all  that  is  national  and  patriotic  in  Bul- 
garia will  be  rallied  to  my  support.  We  should  thus 
get  a  firm  hold  of  the  throne  and  of  all  classes  of  the 
people  without  the  suspicion  of  too  great  Russian 
predominance.  Do  you  see  that  ?  " 

I  did  ;  and  my  looks  showed  that  I  did  not  relish  it. 

"  It  is  a  shrewd  scheme,  no  doubt,"  I  said. 

She  gazed  at  me  steadily,  almost  reproachfully,  I 
thought.  But  I  did  not  like  the  scheme,  and  would 
not  pretend  that  I  did. 


(  I  HAVE  UNBOUNDED  FAITH  IN  YOU  "  93 

"  Is  it  a  plan  you  will  help?"  she  asked.  I  was  silent 
and  cast  my  eyes  on  the  ground. 

"  Is  it  a  plan  you  will  help  ?  "  she  repeated. 

"  You  place  me  in  a  position  of  great  difficulty, 
Princess,"  I  replied,  slowly. 

"  Will  you  help  me  in  it  ?  "  she  repeated. 

"  With  such  powerful  influence  behind  you,  you  will 
not  need  my  help  that  I  can  see,"  I  returned,  ungra- 
ciously, for  the  scowling  brutal  face  of  Duke  Sergius 
was  in  my  thoughts. 

Her  eyes  were  still  bent  steadily  upon  me,  and  a  side 
glance  showed  me  their  expression  had  changed. 

"  You  are  not  frank  with  me,  Count  BenderofI,"  she 
said,  after  a  pause  ;  and  at  that  I  looked  up  and  said 
bluntly  : 

"  If  I  offend  you  I  am  sorry  ;  but  I  will  not  stir  a 
finger  to  help  the  man  you  mean — the  Duke  Sergius." 

Her  face  was  breaking  into  a  smile,  when  she  checked 
it,  and  I  saw  a  faint  wave  of  colour  rise  to  her 
cheek. 

"  What  do  you  know  of  Duke  Sergius  ?  "  she  asked. 
Again  a  pause. 

"  Little  or  nothing,  Madame ;  but  I  will  not  serve  in 
any  cause  where  his  interests  are  to  be  advanced." 

"  Why  do  you  not  like  him  ?  You  knew  I  was  be- 
trothed to  him  ?" 

She  seemed  suddenly  bent  on  rousing  my  temper 
against  the  man. 

"  I  had  heard  of  it." 

"  Yet,  knowing  it,  you  have  not  hitherto  refused  to 
help  me  !  "  Was  she  playing  on  my  passion,  that  she 
persisted  in  her  questioning?  "You  must  have  some 
reasons,"  she  continued,  when  I  remained  silent ;  "  what 
are  they  ?  "  and  to  my  astonishment  the  smile  which 


94  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

she  had  before  checked  now  passed  beyond  control 
and  lighted  her  face  rarely. 

"  You  must  not  press  me  for  my  reasons,"  I  said 
quickly ;  and  the  light  in  her  eyes  may  have  reflected 
the  thought  behind  it,  for  again  the  colour  mantled 
her  cheeks. 

"  Then  you  will  not  help  me  ?  "  she  said  in  a  low 
voice  that  witched  me. 

"  You  ?     With  my  life  !  " 

The  passion  in  my  tone  made  her  cast  down  her 
eyes,  till,  with  a  still  deeper  colour  on  her  face,  she 
lifted  them  and  said  gently  : 

"  Forgive  me  ;  I  was  but  testing  you.  And  if  you 
blame  me,  think  what  store  I  may  set  upon  an  assur- 
ance of  fidelity  that  is  purely  personal  to  me.  Call  it 
caprice  if  you  will,  a  mere  woman's  caprice,  that  I 
should  thus  seek  to  probe  your  real  thoughts  and 
resolves." 

"  There  was  no  need  to  test  me  where  you  were 
concerned,"  I  replied  ;  and  again  the  earnestness  of 
my  tone  appeared  to  embarrass  her.  In  the  short 
silence  that  followed  I  sat  with  but  the  loosest  rein 
upon  the  hopes  and  thoughts  that  were  so  much  to  me. 

"  No  ;  the  Duke  Sergius  does  not  come  into  the 
scheme  as  we  plan  it,"  she  said  ;  "  and  I  thought 
indeed  that  what  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  told  you 
would  have  made  you  understand  this.  I  would  do 
much  for  this  country ;  and  if  it  were  necessary  that  I 
should  marry  him — which,  thank  God,  it  is  not — I 
might  force  myself  to  go  even  to  that  extreme.  But 
in  my  life  there  can  be  no  thought  of  marriage.  I 
should  be  baser  than  the  base  if,  having  taken  this 
charge  upon  me,  I  should  ever  turn  from  it  by  any 
thought  of  myself." 


'I  HAVE  UNBOUNDED  FAITH  IN  YOU"  95 

She  spoke  in  a  tone  of  lofty  exaltation,  a  strange 
contrast  indeed  to  what  she  had  termed  her  "  mere 
woman's  caprice ;  "  and  I  held  my  peace. 

"  Our  plan  is  this,"  she  resumed  :  "  to  use  the  Rus- 
sian ladder,  and  then  kick  it  over.  To  make  them 
pledge  themselves  before  Europe  to  support  me  on  the 
throne,  and  then  to  use  the  power  of  the  throne  for 
rallying  the  Bulgarians  to  defend  themselves  and  their 
country  against  their  real  enemies." 

"  You  have  mapped  out  a  dangerous  counterplot, 
Princess  ;  but  I  like  it,  and  if  I  can  help,  I  will.  How 
will  you  prevent  the  secret  marriage  ?  " 

"  We  shall  have  to  leave  that  to  be  disposed  of  when 
the  time  comes.  As  you  were  warned,  he  is  a  man 
whose  eyes  we  have  ever  to  blind." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  the  people  about  you  ?  " 

"  Of  some — indeed,  of  many;  but  it  is  in  that  you 
can  be  of  such  help  to  us.  I  have  heard  of  the  sugges- 
tions you  made  so  guardedly,  that  your  house  shall  be 
the  rendezvous  of  the  movement  to  which  those  shall 
be  brought  who  are  known  to  be  true  to  the  country, 
and  can  be  trusted.  Such  a  meeting-place  will  be  in- 
valuable, especially  where,  as  in  your  case,  there  is  a 
plausible  excuse  for  any  such  gatherings." 

"  You  mean  ?" 

"  We  propose  to  form  a  kind  of  gymnasium  club — 
at  least,  propose  that  you  should  form  it  among  the 
young  men  of  the  city  whom  we  can  ascertain  to  be 
faithful.  Of  these  men  you  will  necessarily  become 
the  leader  ;  so  you  see  you  will  have  an  important  part 
to  play,  my  friend." 

"  It  is  shrewd,"  I  said,  perceiving  at  once  its  many 
possibilities,  as  I  recalled  Zoiloff's  words.  "  But  how 
far  are  your  plans  advanced  ?  Time  presses." 


96  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN  i 

"  Much  farther  advanced  than  you  think.  We  have 
been  working  all  the  time  this  Russian  scheme  has  been 
in  progress,  so  that  we  should  be  ready  when  that 
reaches  its  climax.  But  matters  will  move  faster  now, 
and  in  a  few  weeks  all  should  be  prepared.  It  is  a 
strong  point  that  the  very  craft  of  General  Kolfort 
itself  has  helped  us.  We  have,  as  it  were,  a  free  hand 
for  making  our  preparations.  He  is  as  anxious  as  we 
are  that  those  Bulgarians  who  are  opposed  to  the 
Prince,  and  would  help  me,  but  fear  Russia,  should  be 
secured  to  us  ;  and  this  has  given  us  just  the  cover  for 
our  work  that  we  needed.  We  shall  triumph,  Count, 
for  the  cause  of  truth  is  ours,  and  Bulgaria  shall  be 
free ;  "  and  her  voice  rang  with  earnestness. 

I  sat  silent  in  thought  for  some  moments. 

"You  have  thought  of  the  dangers  to  yourself?" 

"  I  can  but  die,  and  where  could  one  find  a  nobler 
end?"  Her  face  shone  with  the  light  of  willing  mar- 
tyrdom. 

"  You  think  the  General  has  no  suspicion?  " 

"  He  cannot  have  as  yet.  There  will  come  a  mo- 
ment when  his  eyes  will  be  opened,  no  doubt,  and  then 
the  danger  may  be  real  enough.  But  I  am  prepared  to 
face  anything  for  the  cause." 

I  thought  of  that  moment,  and  my  heart  feared  for 
her ;  but  I  knew  of  the  other  danger  from  that  wild 
woman,  the  Countess  Bokara ;  and  I  must  put  her  on 
her  guard. 

"  It  is  not  of  the  dangers  we  must  think,  Count,  but 
of  the  great  end  to  be  achieved,"  she  added.  "  To 
dwell  on  nothing  but  risks  may  make  cowards  of  the 
bravest." 

"  True  ;  but  we  must  at  all  events  give  enough  heed 
to  the  dangers  to  be  able  to  guard  against  them.  Have 


"SHE   TURNED    SWIFTLY   AND    LOOKED    AT    ME." — PlgS    Q7> 


"I  HAVE  UNBOUNDED  FAITH  IN  YOU"  97 

you  thought  of  the  steps  the  Prince  and  those  about 
him  might  take  against  you  ?  " 

"  You  may  have  influence  with  her,"  she  answered, 
understanding  me  readily.  "And  I  have  had  a  half 
hope  that  you  may  be  able  to  make  her  understand  how 
hopeless  are  her  efforts.  Can  you  do  this?  " 

"  I  am  not  hopeful.  She  is  a  woman  of  wild  and 
vehement  passions." 

"  She  is  mad  ;  she  hates  me  so  violently  that  if  she 
dared  she  would  herself  plunge  a  knife  into  my  heart. 
She  clings  to  the  shadow  of  power  which  she  wields 
through  the  Prince  with  all  the  tenacity  of  ambition 
venomed  by  malice.  I  know  it,  but  I  do  not  fear  her," 
she  said  proudly.  "  She  is  the  greatest  enemy  this 
country  has,  even  in  this  hour  when  its  enemies  throng 
every  street,  and  are  found  in  every  house.  Daring, 
unscrupulous,  reckless,  and  saturated  with  the  lust  of 
power,  she  would  use  the  Prince  for  the  pursuit  of  her 
own  ends,  and  those  only,  however  cleverly  masked  by 
a  boasted  love  of  the  country." 

The  Princess  was  a  very  woman  after  all,  I  saw,  for 
it  was  easy  to  read  the  personal  dislike  which  breathed 
through  her  indignation. 

"  She  may  be  very  dangerous,  Princess,"  I  said  warn- 
ingly. 

She  turned  swiftly  and  looked  at  me,  reading  in  my 
voice  my  genuine  alarm  for  her.  After  a  moment,  her 
face  softened  into  a  smile,  and  she  put  her  hand  on 
my  arm. 

"  You  are  warning  me,  I  see,  against  something  you 
know  but  cannot  tell  me.  I  will  not  ask  you.  I  will 
do  more,  for  your  sake,  and  to  relieve  your  fears  on  my 
account.  I  will  be  very  cautious.  You  have  a  most 
difficult  part  to  fulfil  at  present;  I  understand  that. 
7 


98  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

But  I  will  guard  against  any  such  risks  as  you  appear 
to  contemplate.  Your  ready  zeal  for  the  cause  is  very 
welcome  to  me,  Count — more  welcome,  perhaps,  than 
I  have  been  able  to  show  you.  For  the  sake  of  what 
you  say,  I  will  be  very  cautious." 

Her  eyes  rested  a  moment  on  my  face,  holding  me 
in  a  thraldom  of  silent  admiration.  Then  she  added 
sweetly  :  "  But  you  must  not  let  your  fears  for  me 
print  themselves  so  legibly  on  your  face.  We  shall  go 
forward  together  in  this  matter  to  victory,  my  friend. 
That  is  the  thought  to  carry  with  you.  Heaven  will 
not  suffer  us  to  fail,  let  the  risks  and  difficulties  be  what 
they  may.  We  are  close  comrades  now ;  and  I  feel  that 
you  have  been  sent  just  at  the  moment  when  such  a 
man  was  absolutely  necessary.  And  when  we  have 
gained  the  victory,  you  will  play  a  large  part  in  the  far 
greater  work  that  lies  ahead.  I  have  unbounded  faith 
in  you." 

"  I  do  not  need  the  spur  of  ambition  to  serve  you, 
Princess  ;  but,  by  the  help  of  heaven,  your  faith  in  me 
shall  never  prove  unfounded."  I  spoke  with  intense 
earnestness,  and  then  rose  to  leave.  She  rose,  too,  and 
gave  me  her  hand,  which  I  again  carried  to  my  lips  ; 
and  it  pleased  me  to  think  that  her  fingers  trembled 
as  my  lips  touched  them. 

I  had  reached  the  door  when  she  said  suddenly  : 

"  Oh,  there  is  one  thing  which  I  have  not  men- 
tioned. We  have  a  kind  of  watchword  which  you 
should  know.  Our  friends  are  banded  together  '  In 
the  Name  of  a  Woman,'  Count." 

I  started  with  a  touch  of  alarm. 

"  But  General  Kolfort  knows  of  that.  It  was  with 
that  formula  I  was  accosted  by  the  messenger  who  led 
me  to  his  house." 


"  I  HAVE  UNBOUNDED  FAITH  IN  YOU  "  99 

"  He  chose  it,"  she  answered,  with  a  smile  of  re- 
assurance. "  It  is  intended  to  mark  off  those  who  are 
for  me  as  distinguished  from  those  solely  devoted  to 
Russia,  the  good  men  and  true  for  whom  he  thinks  I 
can  best  act  as  his  decoy."  I  understood  her.  "  You 
will  not  forget  it  and  all  that  it  means,  as  I  have  ex- 
plained to  you  to-day." 

"  I  am  not  likely  to  forget  all  that  it  means  to  me," 
I  said,  and  a  quick  glow  on  her  face  made  me  think  she 
understood  me,  too,  and  was  not  displeased.  With  a 
little  flush  of  pleasure  I  turned  again  to  leave,  when 
the  door  was  opened,  and  a  servant  announced  the 
Duke  Sergius. 

He  came  in  hurriedly,  with  a  look  of  vexation  on  his 
coarse,  broad  face,  which  deepened  instantly  to  angef 
as  his  eyes  fell  upon  me. 

"  They  told  me  you  were  engaged,  Princess,  as  I 
see,"  he  said,  with  a  sneer  at  me  ;  "  but  I  had  a  mat- 
ter of  urgency  to  discuss  with  you,  so  I  bade  your 
servants  announce  me." 

"  Your  urgency  will  cost  my  servants  their  places," 
she  answered,  the  expression  of  her  face  hardening  into 
cold  austerity — so  different  from  anything  I  had  seen 
during  our  interview. 

"  I  did  not  think  it  could  be  anything  very  impor- 
tant," he  answered,  paying  no  heed  to  her  words. 
"  Who  is  this  gentleman  ?  "  and  he  turned  and  glow- 
ered at  me. 

Not  only  a  bully,  but  a  cad,  was  my  thought,  as  I 
returned  his  look  with  generous  interest. 

The  Princess  murmured  our  names  formally  and 
coldly. 

"  I  have  heard  something  of  you,  Count,  from  Gen- 
eral Kolfort."  He  spoke  as  if  it  had  been  nothing  to 


JOG          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

my  good.  "  If  I  mistake  not,  I  saw  you  at  the  ball 
last  night." 

"  I  was  there,"  I  answered  curtly. 

"  I  want  a  word  or  two  with  you,  sometime,  and  will 
wait  upon  you."  Had  I  been  a  servant  at  whom  he 
was  flinging  an  order,  he  could  not  have  put  more 
offensive  patronage  into  his  tone. 

"  If  you  will  write  your  business  I  will  see  if  I  have 
time  to  give  you  an  appointment,"  I  answered  with 
intentional  brusqueness.  He  was  not  accustomed  to 
be  addressed  in  such  a  tone,  and  he  started  and  flushed 
with  anger.  I  took  no  notice,  but  with  a  bow  to  the 
Princess  I  murmured,  "  I  have  the  honour  to  wish  you 
good  day,  Madame,"  and,  ignoring  the  Duke  entirely, 
I  went  away,  leaving  him  staring  angrily  after  me. 

"  I  hate  the  brute,"  I  said  to  myself  as  I  went  into 
the  street ;  and  in  truth  I  seemed  to  find  a  special 
cause  of  offence  in  the  fact  that  1  had  had  to  leave  him 
alone  with  the  Princess.  "  I  wish  to  Heaven  he'd 
quarrel  with  me,"  I  muttered  ;  and,  indeed,  the  wish 
was  to  have  a  fulfilment  that  at  the  moment  I  had  no 
cause  to  anticipate  or  hope. 


CHAPTER  X 

"  IN  THE   NAME   OF  A  WOMAN  " 

THE  result  of  my  interview  with  the  Princess  will 
be  readily  understood.  It  made  me  more  devoted  to 
her  than  ever.  The  sweetness  of  her  manner,  the 
charm  of  her  rare  beauty,  the  loftiness  of  her  aims,  the 
faith  and  confidence  she  had  shown  in  me,  and  the 
many  signs  of  her  reliance  upon  me  had  enslaved  me. 
In  a  word,  I  was  in  love  with  her.  She  was  far  above 
me,  and  there  was  no  hope  that  I  could  ever  win  her 
for  my  wife.  There  were  a  thousand  obstacles  in  the 
way.  But  there  was  nothing  to  stop  my  loving  her. 

So  far  I  had  never  met  one  to  touch  my  heart  and 
kindle  the  myriad  flames  of  inspiring  passion  which 
throbbed  and  thrilled  in  me  now  with  such  ecstasy  at 
the  mere  thought  of  this  rare  and  wonderful  pearl 
among  women. 

I  gave  heed  to  no  thought  of  consequences — never 
paused  to  think  what  the  end  of  such  a  passion  might 
be,  nor  where  it  might  lead  me.  She  had  changed 
every  habit  of  my  mind.  Usually  cautious,  calculat- 
ing, and  self-reserved,  I  heeded  nothing  now  but  the 
delicious  knowledge  that  I  loved  her  and  could  serve 
her,  and  help  her  to  gain  the  high  and  noble  end  she 
had  in  view.  And  serve  her  I  vowed  I  would  with 
every  faculty  I  possessed,  and,  if  the  need  were,  at  the 
cost  of  every  drop  of  blood  in  my  body.  I  flung 
every  other  consideration  to  the  winds  and  dizzied  my 

101 


IO2 

brain  with  dreams  of  the  delight  it  would  yield  me  to 
feel  that  I  could  be  the  means  of  helping  her. 

That  she  depended  upon  me  and  trusted  me  was  in 
itself  a  delirium  of  pleasure,  and,  come  what  might,  I 
would  never  fail  nor  falter  in  her  service.  Others 
might  have  their  aims  and  objects  in  this  wild  business 
of  the  intrigue,  I  would  serve  Christina,  and  Christina 
only,  "  In  the  Name  of  a  Woman."  Whatever  it 
should  be  to  others,  to  me  it  had  a  real  and  inspiring 
meaning,  and  for  me  it  was  destined  to  be  no  mere 
watchword  or  formula,  but  the  guiding  principle  of 
every  act  and  thought  and  the  lode  star  to  determine 
my  life.  » 

But  I  would  guard  my  secret  jealously ;  it  should  be 
mine  and  mine  only.  The  fire  must  burn,  but  it 
should  be  down  in  the  centre  of  my  heart ;  and  on  the 
surface  no  prying  eyes  should  pierce  the  mask  of 
reserve  with  which  I  would  conceal  my  passion. 

All  this  came  to  me  clearly  in  the  frank  self- 
communing  of  the  night,  and  with  it  a  full  admission 
of  the  real  cause  for  my  hatred  of  the  Duke  Sergius. 
It  was  not  so  much  the  man  himself  I  detested — de- 
testable though  I  believed  him — but  the  future  hus- 
band of  Christina,  using  and  defiling  that  fair  shrine 
for  the  sordid  purpose  of  his  selfish  policy.  He  and 
those  in  league  with  him  would  use  the  rarest  and 
fairest  of  God's  women  as  a  tool  for  their  own  base 
ends.  The  mere  thought  of  it  was  an  abomination  of 
desecration. 

But  they  would  have  to  reckon  with  me,  and  in  my 

new  love-madness  I  piled  up  oath  upon  oath  that  I 

would    spoil    their    plans   and    thwart    their   designs 

against  her. 

-  "  I  have  unbounded  faith  in  you."     The  words  rang 


"  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN  "        103 

in  my  ears  like  the  strain  from  some  angel's  song,  and 
filled  me  with  such  enthusiasm  that  I  longed  for  the 
moment  of  action,  and  could  scarce  find  patience  to 
wait  through  the  lingering  hours  of  darkness  that  I 
might  begin  my  work ;  and  I  lay,  my  brain  simmering 
with  plots  and  plans  against  the  two  men,  Sergius  and 
Kolfort,  who  were  thus  leagued  against  Christina. 

By  the  morning,  however,  I  was  cooler,  and  in  a 
fitter  frame  of  mind  to  face  the  thousand  difficulties 
of  the  position. 

Spernow  was  with  me  early,  and  I  had  my  first  lesson 
in  the  necessity  of  keeping  my  feelings  out  of  sight. 
He  had  heard  of  my  interview  with  the  Princess,  and 
came  eager  to  learn  the  result.  1  knew  very  well  by 
this  time  that  that  very  shrewd  little  Mademoiselle 
Broumoff  was  at  the  bottom  of  his  eagerness,  and  I 
was  on  my  guard. 

I  told  him  that  the  Princess  had  convinced  me  of 
the  soundness  of  her  policy,  and  that  I  should  do  all 
in  my  power  to  help  her. 

"  Is  she  not  all  I  said  of  her?"  he  asked. 

"  She  is  a  woman  with  a  mission,"  I  answered  some- 
what coldly.  "  But  her  mission  is  a  high  and  bright 
one  in  the  interests  of  Bulgaria  and  freedom,  and,  as 
those  are  interests  in  which  I  feel  a  deep  concern,  I 
shall  give  her  all  the  help  in  my  power." 

The  studied  deliberateness  of  my  tone  perplexed 
him,  for  he  looked  at  me  in  some  surprise  and  disap- 
pointment. 

"  Is  that  all  you  thought  of  her,  my  dear  Count? 
You  must  have  a  cool  head — for  you  have  filled  her 
with  enthusiasm." 

This  was  sweet  music  to  me  indeed ;  but  I  replied 
indifferently: 


104          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"I  base  my  opinions  on  my  judgment;"  and  I 
smiled  as  if  in  deprecation  of  enthusiasm.  "  But  now 
I  have  much  to  do  to-day.  I  take  possession  of  my 
house,  and  I  wish  to  have  a  consultation  with  you  and 
Captain  Zoiloff  as  to  certain  plans.  Will  you  bring 
him  to  me  there  at  noon  ?  We  have  to  discuss  the 
future  form  of  our  new  association." 

As  soon  as  he  had  left  me  I  hurried  to  meet  the  officers 
of  my  regiment,  and  my  reception  by  them  was  ex- 
ceedingly cordial  and  friendly — partly  due,  as  I  after- 
wards learnt,  to  my  duel  with  Ristich,  who  had  been  a 
much  hated  man ;  and  also  because  of  my  reputation 
as  a  man  of  wealth.  I  gave  one  prompt  proof  of  this 
by  asking  the  whole  of  my  brother  officers  to  dine 
with  me  at  an  early  date. 

By  noon  I  was  back  at  my  house  to  meet  Zoiloff  and 
Spernow,  and  after  we  had  had  some  practice  with  the 
foils  and  in  pistol  shooting  we  set  to  work  upon  the 
serious  business  of  the  conference. 

We  arranged  that  I  should  be  the  head  of  the  organ- 
isation, with  Zoiloff  next  in  charge  under  me  ;  and  he 
threw  himself  with  keen  ardour  into  the  work. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  how  glad  I  am  to  have  you  with 
us  in  this,  Count,"  he  said,  when  we  had  debated  and 
settled  details.  "  Now  that  you  have  come,  you  seem  to 
be  just  the  man  we  were  waiting  for ;  and  this  place 
of  yours  will  be  a  magnificent  rendezvous." 

"  Shall  we  have  many  join  us  ?  " 

"  We  do  not  want  too  many,  but  all  will  be  carefully 
picked,  and  every  man  will  be  one  wielding  influence 
over  others." 

"  How  will  General  Kolfort  view  the  scheme  ?  " 

"  All  he  will  know  will  be  that  here  is  in  training  a 
band  of  young  men  all  working  for  the  object  which 


"IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN'"        105 

he  desires,  and  all  capable  of  giving  the  greatest  help 
to  the  movement.  The  real  secret  will  be  in  as  few 
hands  as  possible.  When  he  knows  more  it  will  be  too 
late  for  him  to  interfere,"  he  said  with  a  smile. 

"  That  will  be  the  hour  of  danger,"  I  returned. 

"  Rather  the  hour  of  triumph.  Think  what  it  must 
mean  in  a  country  like  ours  to  have,  say,  five  hundred 
young  men  in  this  city,  each  influencing  many  more, 
drawn  from  all  classes,  high  and  low,  all  joined  by  the 
strongest  ties  for  one  common  object,  and  all  looking 
upon  one  man  as  their  leader — "  In  the  Name  of  a 
Woman."  You  will  wield  a  tremendous  power,  Count. 
God  grant  you  use  it  wisely,"  he  said,  earnestly.  "  But 
I  have  no  doubt  of  that.  I  should  not  be  here  if  I 
had." 

"  I  shall  wield  it  only  for  the  one  object." 

"  It  will  turn  the  scale  in  any  crisis,"  said  Spernow. 

"  It  will  free  the  country,"  said  Zoiloff. 

I  said  nothing,  but  was  thinking  of  the  help  it  would 
render  to  my  Princess. 

One  thing  troubled  me.  The  General  had  declared 
that  he  would  not  permit  me  to  remain  in  the  country 
unless  I  pledged  myself  to  join  him  ;  and  give  that 
pledge  I  would  not.  Neither  would  I  leave  the  coun- 
try. And  when  my  two  companions  had  left,  I  sat 
pondering  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  There  was  but 
one  way  that  I  could  see — to  have  him  satisfied  by  some 
indirect  means  that  I  had  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
Princess,  and  leave  him  to  draw  the  inference  for  him- 
self that  in  serving  her  I  intended  to  serve  him  and 
his  party  also. 

In  this  connection  I  thought  of  Spernow.  He  was 
the  General's  agent  specially  told  off  to  sound  me,  and 
it  would  be  quite  possible  for  him  to  give  a  report  suf- 


io6          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

ficiently  plausible  to  effect  what  was  wanted.  But  who 
should  coach  Spernow  ?  The  answer  came  with  the 
question.  Without  doubt  it  must  be  Mademoiselle 
Broumoff,  and  it  remained  only  for  me  to  get  an  inter- 
view with  her  and  tell  her  what  to  do. 

Inwardly  I  tried  to  persuade  myself  that  this  might 
be  a  sufficient  reason  for  me  to  seek  another  interview 
with  the  Princess  ;  but  I  put  the  temptation  away  from 
me,  strong  as  it  was,  reflecting  that  any  too  great 
eagerness  on  my  part  to  see  her  would  only  defeat  the 
very  end  I  had  in  view — to  be  of  real  help.  I  must 
raise  no  suspicions  anywhere  by  seeking  to  see  her  too 
often. 

I  was  thinking  this  matter  out  when  a  servant 
brought  me  the  card  of  the  Duke  Sergius.  I  started 
as  I  saw  it,  and  for  a  moment  was  inclined  to  send  an 
excuse.  But  reflecting  that  I  must  now  take  my  share 
in  helping  to  blind  his  eyes,  I  went  to  him. 

"  I  have  not  adopted  the  somewhat  roundabout  way 
you  suggested  yesterday  for  having  an  interview  with 
you,  Count  Benderoff,  but  have  come  direct  to  you.  I 
am  accustomed  to  go  straight  to  a  point." 

"  Yes  ?  "      My  tone  was  curt. 

"You  and  I  must  understand  one  another  a  little 
better.  I  have  heard  of  you  from  General  Kolfort, 
who  seems  inclined  to  take  you  rather  seriously ;  and  I 
may  say  at  once  that  since  I  saw  you  yesterday  I  have 
changed  my  opinion  about  you.  The  Princess  Chris- 
tina spoke  to  me  pretty  frankly  concerning  you." 

"Yes?"  I  said  again;  I  hated  to  hear  him  even 
speak  her  name  so  glibly. 

"  I  looked  on  you  before  as  a  sort  of  superior  spy — 
sent  here,  probably  from  England,  to  see  what  was 
going  on.  But  I  now  understand  that  we  are  to  be 


"IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN"        107 

friends  to  work  together.  I  am  glad  to  hear  it."  He 
spoke  with  a  sort  of  blustering  bluntness  that  he  may 
have  intended  for  an  engaging  frankness. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  much  concerned  what 
opinion  you  take  the  trouble  to  form  about  me,"  I 
answered,  coldly. 

"  Hang  it  all,  man,  can't  you  see  I  have  come  in  a 
friendly  spirit  to  talk  over  together  the  things  we  have 
in  common  ?  Why  do  you  receive  me  like  this  ?  "  He 
spoke  sharply,  and,  I  thought,  angrily  ;  and  when  I  did 
not  answer  immediately,  he  added  with  a  laugh  that 
had  no  mirth  in  it  :  "  You  don't  suppose  I  am  in  the 
habit  of  hawking  round  my  friendship  ?  " 

"  Have  I  suggested  anything  of  the  kind  ?" 

"You  make  it  very  difficult  for  me  to  enter  into 
things  with  you." 

"  I  have  seen  you  twice,  sir,"  I  answered  deliberately. 
"  The  first  time  at  the  ball  the  other  evening,  when  you 
were  good  enough  to  scowl  at  me,  and  yesterday  at  the 
Princess  Christina's  house,  when  your  words  were  a 
kind  of  scowl  expressed  audibly.  We  Englishmen  are 
not  accustomed  to  read  such  actions  as  the  prelimi- 
naries of  a  friendship." 

He  started  at  the  word  Englishmen,  and  his  eyes 
lighted  with  swift  anger.  Obviously  he  hated  every- 
thing English  ;  nor  did  I  wish  him  to  make  an  exception 
in  my  case.  I  think  he  read  as  much  in  my  eyes. 

"  You  Englishmen  take  very  queer  views  of  many 
things,"  he  answered,  after  a  short  pause.  "  But  I 
thought  you  were  more  a  Roumanian,  and  thus  a  friend 
of  my  country?" 

"  I  have  the  -honour  to  be  a  Roumanian  Count,"  I 
said,  tersely. 

"  Do  you  wish  to  quarrel  with  me,  Count  Benderoff  ?  " 


io8          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

But  before  I  could  reply,  he  added :  "  But  there,  that 
must  be  ridiculous,  for  the  Princess  tells  me  I  may  look 
upon  you  as  a  man  devoted  to  her  cause,  and,  there- 
fore, to  mine.  I  shall  not  be  unmindful  of  those  who 
help  us,  I  would  have  you  understand  that — though  I 
wish  you  did  not  make  it  so  difficult  for  me  to  tell 
it  you." 

"  I  am  not  working  for  any  hope  of  material  reward 
at  your  hands,"  I  answered  equivocally.  His  pat- 
ronising tone  galled  me. 

"No  matter.  That  will  not  prevent  your  accepting  it 
when  the  time  comes.  Few  men  do  that,  I  find — even 
Englishmen.  But  now  I  wish  us  to  be  friends  and 
comrades,  Count.  Do  you  see  any  reason  against  it  ?  " 

"  We  have  not  begun  auspiciously,"  said  I  drily. 

"  Hang  it !  "  he  cried  with  an  oath.  "  You  are  as 
diffident  as  a  girl  in  her  teens.  I  don't  find  men  in- 
clined to  quarrel  with  my  offers  of  friendship,  I  can  tell 
you.  I  am  not  without  power  and  influence,  I  can 
assure  you  ;  "  and  he  smiled  boastfully. 

I  made  no  response  to  his  offer.     I  could  not. 

"  You  have  made  a  good  choice  of  a  house,  Count,"  he 
said,  after  another  pause.  "  I  congratulate  you.  And 
where  is  the  room  where  you  are  going  to  lure  the  coy 
pigeons  to  be  trained  in  the  service  of  the  Princess 
Christina  ?  "  Evidently  she  had  told  him  of  the  project. 

"  I  will  show  it  you,  if  you  like,"  I  said,  rising. 

"  Nothing  will  please  me  better,"  he  said,  following 
me  from  the  room.  "  Egad,  a  splendid  hall !  "  he  ex- 
claimed in  genuine  admiration  as  we  entered  it.  "  Men 
tell  me,  too,  that  you  know  how  to  use  the  sword  well. 
From  all  accounts  you  easily  spitted  that  fool  Ris- 
tich  the  first  time  at  old  Kolfort's,  and  did  just  what 
you  liked  with  him  when  you  met  him  on  the  ground." 


"IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN"        109 

"  He  was  wounded,  and  in  my  opinion  unfit  to  fight. 
I  protested  against  his  doing  so,  as  you  may  have 
heard  ;  but  he  insisted,  and  left  me  no  option." 

He  examined  all  the  arrangements  and  gymnastic 
apparatus  with  obvious  interest,  making  many  com- 
ments to  show  his  appreciation  of  everything. 

"  This  is  a  novel  thing  for  Sofia,"  he  said,  after  a 
while.  "  And  a  devilish  shrewd  device  to  draw  in  the 
young  bloods  of  the  place.  They  will  make  a  hero  of 
you,  Count.  A  splendid  thought,  and  one  that  shows 
what  an  acquisition  you  will  be  to  us.  A  pistol  range, 
too;  magnificent!  May  I  try  a  shot  or  two?"  He 
spoke  with  assumed  indifference,  but  I  caught  a  glance 
which  told  me  he  wished  to  surprise  me  with  a  display 
of  his  skill  in  shooting. 

"  By  all  means,"  I  answered  readily,  not  at  all  un- 
willing to  see  what  he  could  do,  and  to  show  him  also 
that  I  knew  how  to  handle  a  pistol  pretty  well. 

He  was  a  good  shot,  and  took  a  pride  in  his  work, 
laughing  boastfully  when  he  sent  his  bullet  three  times 
in  succession  into  the  bull's-eye  of  the  small  target. 

"  I'm  strange  to  the  pistol,  of  course ;  but  that's  not 
bad  for  a  first  attempt,  eh  ?  I'm  a  bit  out  of  practice, 
too,  for  I  haven't  a  place  like  this  to  keep  my  hand  in." 
There  was  a  sneer  at  me  in  this. 

"  Come  to  the  further  mark,"  I  said,  putting  him  half 
a  dozen  paces  to  the  rear.  "  You  shoot  well." 

He  tried  from  the  further  mark  and  hit  the  target 
each  time,  but  only  once  got  on  to  the  bull's-eye. 

"  It's  a  long  distance,  and  the  light's  rather  bad.  Do 
you  shoot  much  ?  " 

"  Well,  a  little.  I  have  only  had  two  or  three  shots 
here  ;  "  and  I  picked  up  a  revolver  carelessly.  "  I  am 
sorry  you  found  the  light  bad."  I  turned,  then  levelled 


i  io          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

the  pistol  and  fired  half  a  dozen  shots  in  rapid  suc- 
cession. 

"  You  have  missed,"  he  cried,  laughing  gleefully. 

"  I  think  not.  You  will  find  the  six  bullets  in  a  ring 
round  the  bull's-eye.  I  never  miss."  I  spoke  with  in- 
tentionally boastful  swagger. 

He  went  up  to  the  target  and  examined  it,  and  then 
turned  to  me: 

"  By  the  Lord,  you're  a  wonderful  shot.  Where  did 
you  learn  that  trick?" 

The  unfeigned  surprise  and  admiration  in  his  tone 
pleased  me.  He  would  know  now,  at  least,  that  I  was 
not  a  man  to  be  trifled  with ;  from  that  moment  his 
manner  towards  me  changed,  and  his  bluster  and 
swagger  decreased. 

"  I  am  very  fond  of  pistol  practice,"  I  answered 
quietly, 

He  went  up  to  the  target  again  and  stood  before  it, 
scrutinising  the  marks  of  the  bullets  as  though  I  had 
performed  a  miracle. 

"  I  never  saw  anything  like  it.  It's  wonderful,"  I 
heard  him  mutter  to  himself.  Then  in  a  louder  tone 
to  me :  "  I  should  like  to  come  here  for  practice, 
Count."  But  I  had  no  mind  for  that. 

"  It  would  not  do,  I  am  afraid.  If  we  are  to  make 
this  business  a  success,  I  must  be  as  slightly  associated 
with  you  as  possible." 

"Yes,  that  is  true — and  shrewd  enough.  You  won't 
want  recruits  if  you  can  teach  them  to  do  that," 
pointing  to  the  target.  "And  are  you  equally  clever 
with  the  foils?"  I  could  have  found  it  in  me  to  laugh 
at  the  change  in  his  manner.  He  was  like  a  man  who 
had  come  to  bully  and  had  unexpectedly  been  whipped. 

"  No,  a  long  way  from  it.    Would  you  like  to  try  ?  " 


"IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN"        in 

But  he  declined  on  the  plea  that  he  had  no  time.  His 
refusal  surprised  me,  for  I  had  heard  that  he  was  a 
splendid  fencer,  and  was  somewhat  curious  to  see  how 
far  he  was  my  superior.  I  concluded  that  he  was  un- 
willing to  show  me  how  really  skilful  he  was,  and  had 
to  content  myself  with  the  evident  impression  my  skill 
with  the  revolver  had  produced. 

He  left  me  soon  afterwards,  expressing  another  hope 
that  we  should  be  friends ;  but  I  was  as  guarded  in  my 
reply  as  I  had  been  before,  and  certainly  no  more  cordial. 

I  was  glad  of  the  visit,  however.  He  had  solved  the 
difficulty  which  had  been  perplexing  me.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  the  Princess  had  said  enough  to  lead 
him  to  think  that  I  was  working  on  his  side,  and  I 
was  convinced  that  he  would  say  as  much  to  General 
Kolfort,  and  thus  unwittingly  render  me  a  service. 

That  our  dislike  was  mutual  I  had  no  doubt.  He 
had  come  resolved  to  patronise  and,  perhaps,  to  ride 
rough  shod  over  me  in  his  swaggering,  overbearing 
way ;  and  his  performance  with  the  pistol  had  been 
intended  to  intimidate  me,  by  proving  that  he  was  as 
dangerous  to  quarrel  with  as  he  was  powerful  as  an 
ally.  But  my  display  had  changed  all  that ;  and  in  a 
degree  had  humiliated  him  in  my  eyes  at  the  very 
moment  when  he  was  keen  to  appear  most  formidable. 

He  was  a  man  to  take  such  a  rebuff  badly ;  and  for 
the  future  I  felt  he  would  be  no  friend  of  mine. 
Whether  he  would  dare  to  be  an  enemy  depended 
upon  his  skill  as  a  swordsman  ;  and  that  he  had  care- 
fully kept  hidden  from  me. 

Nevertheless,  he  had  cleared  one  tangle  from  the 
skein  of  my  difficulties,  and  I  was  therefore  glad  of  the 
visit.  Whether  he  would  seek  to  show  his  enmity 
openly  I  did  not  trouble  to  ask  myself. 


CHAPTER   XI 

BETRAYED 

THE  next  few  days  were  crowded  ones  for  me.  The 
organisation  of  our  conspirators  went  forward  with 
astonishing  success — the  fruit,  of  course,  of  the  previ- 
ous efforts  of  Zoiloff  and  those  working  with  him  ;  and 
when  we  held  our  first  big  meeting  to  inaugurate  our 
new  "  Club,"  we  had  nearly  three  hundred  splendid 
young  fellows  zealous  to  pledge  themselves  to  the 
finger-tips  in  the  cause  of  the  Princess  Christina. 

Each  of  them  had  been  presented  privately  to  me, 
and  each  promised  unreservedly  to  follow  my  leader, 
ship.  All  were  animated  by  the  most  patriotic  enthu- 
siasm, and  many  of  them  were  in  a  position  to  influence 
considerable  numbers  of  their  compatriots. 

The  scheme  of  the  Gymnasium  Club  evoked  great 
praise,  and  I  was  surprised  by  the  ardour  with  which 
they  threw  themselves  into  the  task  of  athletic  train- 
ing. All  the  details  of  this  were  managed  by  Zoiloff 
and  a  few  carefully  chosen  men  under  him;  and  after 
the  first  meeting  these  leaders  supped  with  me,  and 
many  were  the  exuberant  anticipations  of  success  that 
found  expression.  Zoiloff  himself  threw  aside  his 
customary  reserve,  and  led  on  the  rest  to  praise  me. 

"  It  is  the  finest  movement  ever  started  in  Bulgaria, 
Count,"  he  said  to  me  when  Spernow  and  he  and  I 
were  alone.  "  And  it  will  spread  like  a  heath  on  fire, 
from  here  to  every  town  and  centre  in  the  country. 

112 


BETRAYED  113 

In  a  month  we  shall  have  such  power  and  influence  as 
never  before  was  wielded  by  anyone  here  ;  "  and  Sper- 
now  was  equally  enthusiastic. 

"  I  am  astonished,  I  think,  by  what  I  have  seen  to. 
night,"  I  said. 

"  Ah,  you  don't  know  my  countrymen,"  exclaimed 
Zoiloff,  whose  eyes  shone  and  sparkled  with  the  fire  of 
feeling.  "  They  have  been  crushed  under  the  curse  of 
the  Crescent;  they  have  groaned  under  the  oppression 
till  the  fire  of  patriotism  has  flickered  low  indeed,  for 
there  seemed  no  gleam  of  hope ;  they  have  suffered, 
God  alone  knows  how  bitterly  and  drearily,  till  the 
iron  was  like  to  enter  their  souls  and  corrode  every 
generous  instinct  and  fervour ;  but,  thanks  be  to  God, 
those  instincts  are  not  dead,  and  we  shall  rouse  them 
into  an  activity  that  will  startle  Europe  and  save  the 
Balkan  States.  We  have  done  much  in  the  past  few 
years,  as  you  know  ;  but  that  is  nothing  to  what  we 
shall  yet  achieve.  Were  the  Prince  other  than  he  is, 
the  hand  of  Russia  weighing  less  heavily  on  him,  and 
their  dastardly  work  of  suborning  and  sapping  the 
truth  and  honour  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  country 
less  deadly,  we  should  not  now  be  cowering  and 
cringing  under  the  talons  of  the  Eagles.  Think  what 
it  has  been  to  work  always  under  leaders  whom  we 
doubted  and  distrusted  for  traitors.  But  that  is 
changed  at  last.  We  will  have  no  more  of  the  old 
leaders.  It  is  the  age  of  young  men  ;  and,  by  the  God 
that  made  us  all,  we'll  never  stay  nor  falter  now  till  the 
glorious  end  is  reached." 

"  Good  ! "  said  Spernow,  in  a  rousing  tone  of  con- 
centrated earnestness.  "  Good,  and  true,  every  word 
of  it." 

"  No  looking  back,  that  is  the  spirit   I  honour!  "  I 
8 


H4          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

exclaimed,  infected  by  their  enthusiasm,  and  thinking 
of  the  Princess. 

"  A  toast  1 "  cried  Zoiloff,  jumping  to  his  feet,  his 
eyes  flashing,  and  his  rough,  rugged  features  aglow,  as 
he  raised  his  glass  on  high.  "  May  the  hand  that  holds 
this  glass  blight  and  rot  if  it  ever  falters  or  turns  from 
the  righteous  cause — In  the  name  of  a  Woman." 

"  Amen  to  that,"  said  I  earnestly,  as  Spernow  and 
I  repeated  his  words,  and  finished  solemnly  together 
— "  In  the  name  of  a  Woman." 

"  I  have  never  dared  before  to  be  enthusiastic,  but 
you  have  inspired  me,  Count.  We  have  a  leader  in 
you  who  will  carry  us  far,  and  whom  all  will  come  to 
trust  as  I  do  ; "  and  Zoiloff  gave  me  his  hand,  holding 
mine  in  a  grip  that  trembled  under  his  excitement. 

There  was,  however,  a  source  of  danger  that  these 
two  knew  nothing  of,  and  I  could  not  tell  them — the 
fear  of  the  Countess  Bokara's  violence. 

For  the  few  days  I  had  succeeded  in  evading  her  I 
calculated  that  she  would  attempt  nothing  by  herself, 
but  would  endeavour  first  to  use  me  for  the  work.  She 
had  said  as  much  when  I  had  seen  her  in  the  presence 
of  the  Prince ;  and  it  was,  of  course,  obvious  that  if 
she  could  secure  my  aid  her  task  would  be  vastly 
easier.  I  had  the  entree  to  the  Princess  Christina's 
house,  as  she  knew,  and  could  thus,  were  I  so  minded, 
render  her  just  the  kind  of  assistance  she  needed.  But 
I  knew  she  would  act  soon. 

My  anxiety  on  the  score  of  General  Kolfort's  inten- 
tion to  get  me  out  of  his  way  had  been  removed  as 
the  result  of  the  visit  of  Duke  Sergius  coupled  with 
what  the  General  had  heard  from  Spernow,  and  prob- 
ably from  the  Princess  herself.  He  did  not  send  for 
me  and  I  did  not  seek  him,  but  on  the  morning  fol- 


BETRAYED  115 

lowing  the  meeting  at  my  house  he  put  himself  in  my 
way  as  I  was  returning  from  my  military  duties. 

We  were  both  on  horseback,  and  I  was  passing  him 
with  a  salute,  when  he  reined  up  his  horse  and 
stopped  me. 

"  You  have  not  come  to  me,  Count,"  he  said  curtly. 

"And  do  not  propose  to  come,  General,"  I  answered 
in  a  similar  tone. 

"  I  was  not  wrong  in  my  estimate  of  you,  I  find." 

"  I  do  not  recall  it  for  the  moment,"  said  I  indif- 
ferently. 

He  looked  at  me  and  smiled  grimly. 

"  Good.  A  little  open  antagonism  to  me  is  your 
shrewdest  course.  I  understand  you.  You  are  what 
I  thought — a  very  clever  young  man.  And  you  can 
assure  everyone  that  you  are  not  pledged  to  me — 
openly.  I  understand  you,  I  say." 

"  As  a  well-known  judge  of  men  your  opinion  is 
flattering,  General,"  I  answered  ambiguously. 

His  smile  broadened. 

"  Very  non-committal,  as  usual.  And  yet — : — "  And 
here  his  smile  vanished,  and  his  eyes  took  an  expres- 
sion of  deep  penetration.  "Be  careful  that  your 
cleverness  and  ambition  don't  carry  you  too  far.  If 
that  time  should  come  and  I  have  to  act,  remember 
that  I  warned  you.  I  know  what  you  are  doing,  and 
am  watching  you  carefully."  Then  in  a  lighter  tone  he 
added  :  "  I  am  glad  to  hear  such  good  accounts  of  your 
military  work,  and  glad,  too,  that  I  have  not  to  compel 
you  to  leave  a  country  that  has  such  sore  need  of  the 
valuable  services  which  a  man  like  you  can  render  it." 

And  with  a  salute  he  passed  on,  leaving  me  to  digest 
the  irony  and  hidden  meaning  of  his  last  words.  I 
rode  on  thoughtfully  to  my  house.  The  impression 


ii6          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

he  left  on  my  mind  was  perhaps  just  such  as  he  had 
designed — that  the  attempt  to  trick  him  was  indeed 
like  playing  with  fire  on  the  top  of  a  powder  magazine. 
And  I  was  profoundly  uneasy  as  I  thought  of  what 
that  might  mean  to  the  woman  whose  safety  and  suc- 
cess were  now  infinitely  more  to  me  than  my  own. 

At  my  house  a  surprise  was  in  store  for  me.  A  car- 
riage was  at  the  door,  and  the  servants  told  me  that  a 
lady  was  awaiting  me. 

I  went  to  the  room  at  once  and  found  the  Countess 
Bokara.  She  rose  with  a  smile  as  she  held  out  her  hand. 

"You  look  magnificent  in  your  regimentals,  Count. 
And  I  suppose  you  have  been  too  busy  with  your  new 
duties  and  new  friends  to  think  it  worth  while  to  see 
me.  And  you  don't  seem  over-pleased  that  I  am  here 
now,"  she  added,  for  my  face  clouded  at  the  sight  of 
her.  She  was  a  bird  of  ill-omen,  as  I  knew. 

"  What  is  your  object  in  honouring  me  with  this 
informal  visit  ?" 

"  Informal !  Where  is  the  need  of  formality  between 
you  and  me  ?  "  she  asked  quickly. 

"  In  Sofia  the  tongues  of  gossip  run  glibly." 

"  You  have  soon  developed  into  an  authority  on  the 
manners  of  the  people  here.  Spare  me  your  cant,  I 
beg  of  you.  What  do  you  suppose  I  should  care  if  all 
the  old  gossips  in  the  city  talked  me  over  till  their 
tongues  ached  ?  You  ask  why  I  am  here.  I  wish  to  see 
you,  that  is  all." 

"  I  am  at  your  service,"  I  answered,  with  a  bow. 

"Are  you  ?  That's  just  what  I  wish  to  know,"  she 
replied,  putting  a  significant  meaning  to  my  conven- 
tional phrase.  "You  have  not  given  much  evidence  of 
it  as  yet.  I  should  rather  think  you  have  even  for- 
gotten  your  promise  to  serve  me." 


BETRAYED  117 

"  I  am,  at  any  rate,  ready  to  listen  to  you." 

She  looked  at  me  piercingly  during  a  rather  long 
pause. 

"  If  I  thought "  she  began,  but  checked  herself 

abruptly. 

"  Your  thoughts  are  always  shrewd,"  I  returned. 

At  the  reply  she  looked  up  and  laughed,  with  such 
an  expression  of  malignity  that  it  made  her  face  hate- 
ful, for  all  the  beauty  of  her  eyes. 

"You  little  know  how  shrewd  this  time,  Count  Ben- 
deroff,  or  you  would  drop  that  insipid  conventionality, 
I  promise  you." 

"  You  are  pleased  to  speak  in  riddles." 

"  Yes,  because  you  act  them,"  she  retorted,  almost 
fiercely.  "  But  I  promise  to  be  plain  enough  before  I 
leave  you.  I  will  drop  the  one  if  you  will  drop  the 
other — but,  there,  you'll  have  to,  as  you'll  soon  see." 

"I  do  not  pretend  to  understand  you,"  said  I. 

"  Well,  then,  I'll  try  to  make  you.  You  are  not 
generally  dull.  Tell  me  plainly,  if  you  can,  on  what 
side  are  you  in  all  these  matters?  The  question  is 
merely  to  give  you  a  chance  of  being  frank  with  me, 
for  I  know  much." 

"  I  seek  the  same  object  as  yourself — the  freedom  of 
Bulgaria." 

"  Aye.  In  the  name  of  a  Woman,  you  mean  ?  You 
think  I  do  not  know  your  canting  phrase." 

I  was  on  my  guard  now,  and  did  not  let  her  see  my 
surprise  at  her  words. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  bear  a  commission  in  the 
Prince's  own  regiment,  as  you  know,"  I  answered 
evasively. 

"  The  commission  I  got  for  you.  Of  course  I  know. 
But  what  do  you  mean  by  that  empty  answer  ?  Are 


ii8          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

you  for  or  against  me  ?  For  Heaven's  sake  try  to  speak 
frankly !  Nothing  else  will  serve  either  you  or  me  in 
this."  And  she  stamped  her  foot  with  a  gesture  of 
impatience. 

"  So  far  as  our  aims  are  in  common,  I  am  with  you." 

"Do  you  think  an  answer  like  that  will  satisfy  me? 
I  am  beginning  to  understand  you;  and  if  my  reading 
is  right,  you  and  those  with  you  may  well  take  heed 
for  yourselves." 

"  If  you  have  come  to  threaten  me "  I  began, 

when  she  broke  in  : 

"  I  have  not  come  to  threaten.  I  have  come  to  have 
a  clear  understanding  ;  that  is  all.  And  I  will  have  it," 
she  said,  impetuously.  "  I  will  give  you  another  chance. 
What  did  the  Prince  say  to  you  when  you  were  with 
him?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  there  was  anything " 

"  For  the  love  of  Heaven,  man,  drop  this  conventional 
cant  and  speak  as  plainly  as  you  can  if  you  wish.  What 
did  he  say  to  you  about  this  mad  intention  of  his  to 
abdicate  ?" 

"Intention  to  abdicate?"  I  echoed,  as  if  taken  by 
surprise. 

"  Which  means  that  he  did  tell  you,  and  you  would 
now  pretend  that  he  did  not."  And,  yielding  to  a 
sudden  storm  of  passion,  she  broke  out  into  a  torrent 
of  indignant  reproaches  of  what  she  termed  my  breach 
of  trust  in  not  telling  her. 

I  did  not  interrupt  her,  and  gathered  that  she  had 
only  just  heard  from  the  Prince  what  he  had  said  to 
me.  I  understood  now  the  cause  of  her  visit  and  the 
reason  of  her  passion. 

"  As  his  Highness  told  me  in  confidence,  I  could 
not  betray  it,"  I  said  as  soon  as  I  could  get  a  word  in. 


BETRAYED  119 

"He  no  doubt  told  you  that  he  laid  a  charge  of 
secrecy  upon  me." 

"  And  you  did  nothing  to  dissuade  him,  nothing  to 
stop  him  from  a  madly  suicidal  step.  You,  who  pre- 
tend to  pose  as  a  disinterested  friend  of  Bulgaria  de- 
voted to  him  and  to  me  !  And  do  you  think,  knowing 
me  as  you  do,  for  all  your  flippant  lip-service  to  the 
jargon  of  conventionality,  that  I  will  let  this  thing  be? 
Do  you  think  that  I  am  so  powerless  a  fool  that  I  cannot 
stop  it  ?  Oh,  I  am  a  mad  woman  when  I  think  of  it!  " 
she  cried  desperately.  "  It  can  be  stopped  and  must 
be — do  you  hear?  must ;  and  you  must  help  me." 

"  I  cannot  see  how  I  can  help  you." 

She  had  risen  from  her  chair  and  was  pacing  the 
room  in  her  anger  and  now  came  close  to  me,  and  in  a 
tone  of  concentrated  energy  and  fierceness  said  : 

"  The  death  of  that  woman  Christina  will  stop  it ; 
and  in  that  you  can  help,  aye,  and  you  shall  help  me." 
Her  face  was  ablaze  with  rage  and  hate  as  she  uttered 
the  Princess's  name. 

"  The  Prince  himself  is  opposed  to  any  more  blood- 
shed," I  said  bluntly.  "  The  sentiment  does  him  in- 
finite honour,  and  I  share  it." 

"  You  dare  to  say  that  to  me  ?  To  set  me  at  defi- 
ance ?  To  go  back  upon,  the  pledge  you  gave?  Are 
you  a  coward,  Count  Benderoff?  " 

"  I  will  be  no  party  to  the  assassination  of  the 
Princess,"  I  answered  sternly. 

"  You  defy  me  ?  "  And,  laying  her  hand  on  my  arm, 
she  stared  into  my  eyes  for  some  moments  in  silence, 
and  then,  her  lips  curling  and  her  face  so  hard  and  set 
that  the  nostrils  dilated  with  the  vehemence  of  her 
anger,  she  added :  "  I  could  kill  you." 

Clearly  it  was  to  be  open  war  between  us,  and  I  pre- 


120         IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

pared    for   it.      I    drew  my  arm  away  and  answered 
coldly : 

"  I  think,  Madam,  this  interview  has  lasted  long 
enough." 

She  started  as  if  I  had  insulted  her,  and  I  looked  for 
another  passionate  outbreak.  But  it  did  not  come. 
Instead  of  that  her  expression  underwent  a  complete 
change  and  she  laughed. 

"  Poor  fool  !  "  she  cried  in  a  bantering  tone.  "  Do 
you  know  where  I  shall  go  straight  from  here  if  you 
turn  me  away?  Wait  a  moment  and  I  will  tell  you." 
She  paused,  paying  no  heed  to  my  gesture  of  anger. 
"  In  the  name  of  a  Woman,  eh?  This  excellent  house, 
this  sumptuous  display  of  wealth,  this  clever,  shrewd 
Englishman,  with  his  hatred  of  plots,  this  attractive 
idea  of  a  gymnasium  club — what  does  it  all  mean?" 
And  she  leered  at  me  with  a  look  infinitely  cun- 
ning. 

I  kept  my  face  quite  impassive  as  I  met  her  eyes. 

"  Would  you  like  to  tell  me  the  inner  secret,  or 
shall  I  tell  you  ?  I  know — I  know  everything."  She 
paused  again,  but  I  gave  no  sign  ;  and  then  the  rage 
began  to  return  to  her  face,  and  her  tone  grew 
vehement  again.  "  It  is  a  lie — and  a  lie  against  the 
man  whose  eyes  I  can  open  with  a  word.  You  are 
working  and  plotting  for  the  Princess,  In  the  name  of 
a  Woman,  are  you  not  ?  And  these  Russian  fools  and 
dolts  think  you  are  working  for  them  at  the  same 
time.  But  I  know  your  real  intent.  To  fool  them  up 
to  the  moment  when  you  can  throw  off  the  disguise — 
to  put  this  precious  Princess  on  the  throne,  and  then 
to  snap  your  fingers  in  the  face  of  the  old  dotard,  Kol- 
fort,  and  obey  only  the  Princess.  This  marriage,  on 
which  he  counts  so  much,  is  never  to  take  place  ;  but 


BETRAYED  121 

when  you  have  rallied  and  organised  these  members  of 
your  club,  as  you  call  it,  you  reckon  you  will  be  strong 
enough  to  throw  over  the  Russians  and  declare  for 
what  you  call  Bulgarian  independence.  Independence, 
forsooth,  with  such  a  woman  as  Christina  on  the 
throne." 

I  knew  now  the  extent  of  the  sudden  peril,  but  I 
thrust  the  fear  that  filled  my  soul  for  Christina's  sake 
out  of  sight  and  laughed. 

"  You  have  a  lively  imagination,  Madam !  " 

"  Yes  ;  turn  it  aside  with  a  scoff  or  a  sneer  if  you 
think  you  can.  But  do  you  believe  General  Kolfort 
will  think  it  nothing  more  than  the  subject  of  a  sneer 
when  he  learns  it?"  She  was  disappointed  that  I 
showed  no  sign  of  fear. 

"You  can  take  your  own  course,  and  if  you  think  to 
help  yourself  or  the  Prince  by  filling  the  air  with  your 
fables,  do  so." 

"  You  are  a  coward,  Count  Benderoff,"  she  cried 
hotly,  "  to  play  thus  on  my  helplessness.  I  know  that 
I  cannot  help  my  Prince  or  strengthen  his  position  by 
telling  what  I  know,  and  what  you  dare  not  deny,  to 
be  true.  But  if  I  cannot  help  my  cause,  I  can  at  least 
revenge  myself,  and  I  will.  A  word  from  me  and 
where  will  be  all  your  plots  and  plotters?  Your  club 
will  exercise  then  in  the  yards  of  the  gaols  and 
behind  the  walls  of  Tirnova  fortress.  I  tell  you,  you 
dare  not  play  me  false." 

I  knew  the  grip  she  had  on  me  now  could  tighten  in 
a  moment  into  strangulation,  with  the  ruin  of  every 
man  and  woman  among  us ;  but  I  maintained  my  im- 
passive, stern  expression. 

"  If  you  choose  to  spread  these  tales,  I  cannot  stay 
you,"  I  answered. 


122          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Will  you  help  me  to  my  revenge  upon  the  woman 
Christina  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  revenge?  " 

"  Death,"  she  cried  fiercely. 

"  I  would  slay  you  with  my  own  hand  first,"  I  an- 
swered, the  passion  in  me  rushing  to  utterance. 

She  laughed  again  vindictively  and  hatefully. 

"  So  it  is  true,  then,  she  has  bewitched  you.  I  might 
have  known  it.  I  told  you  and  warned  you  that  she 
was  a  vampire  using  up  men's  lives  with  the  unpitying 
remorselessness  of  a  wild  .beast.  And  you  are  her 
latest  lover,  I  suppose  !  " 

The  slander  suggested  by  her  words  maddened  me. 

"  I  can  hear  no  more,  Madam,"  I  said  sternly. 

She  threw  up  her  head  with  a  gesture  of  pride. 

"  Do  you  order  me  to  leave  your  house — knowing 
the  consequences  ?  " 

I  was  in  sore  perplexity.  She  was  a  devil  and  she 
looked  it  as  she  stared  at  me,  her  lovely  eyes  glowing 
with  rage  and  hate  and  menace. 

"  If  you  have  more  to  say  it  must  be  at  another  time, 
when  you  are  in  a  different  mood,"  I  returned. 

She  seemed  about  to  burst  forth  again  in  her  wild, 
vehement  way,  but  as  suddenly  changed  her  mood  and 
said  : 

"  I  understand.  You  wish  to  find  a  bridge  over  as 
dangerous  a  chasm  as  a  man  ever  yet  had  to  cross.  I 
will  see  you  again  ;  but  next  time  it  will  be  to  hear 
from  you  that  you  accept  my  terms.  You  are  not  a 
man  to  walk  open-eyed  to  sheer  ruin.  I  will  go." 

And  as  she  left  me,  sweeping  out  of  the  room,  with 
a  challenging,  defiant,  triumphant  smile,  I  could 
almost  have  found  it  in  me  to  kill  her. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE    SPY 

As  soon  as  the  door  closed  behind  the  Countess 
Bokara,  I  threw  myself  into  a  chair  in  a  condition  of 
unspeakable  dismay,  rage,  and  chagrin  at  this  most 
unexpected  turn. 

It  spelt  ruin  to  everything  and  everybody  concerned 
in  our  scheme.  I  had  seen  and  heard  quite  enough  of 
General  Kolfort  to  know  full  well  that  the  merest  hint 
of  such  a  plot  as  ours  would  drive  him  instantly  to 
desperate  extremes.  He  would  put  in  force  every 
engine  of  the  powerful  machinery  at  his  instant  dis- 
posal to  crush  and  punish  us.  And  that  he  could 
crush  us  as  easily  as  he  would  pinch  a  fly  between  his 
fingers  there  was  not  a  doubt.  His  power  was  practi- 
cally absolute,  and  he  would  use  it  mercilessly,  like  the 
man  of  iron  that  he  was. 

Nor  was  that  the  worst.  There  was  a  traitor  some- 
where in  our  midst  ;  a  recreant  who  had  carried  the 
secret  in  hot  haste  to  this  vengeful  woman.  I  could 
not  hazard  even  a  guess  as  to  whose  was  the  treachery, 
but  that  it  threatened  the  future  of  the  scheme,  should 
even  she  herself  be  silenced,  was  as  patent  as  the  fin- 
gers on  one's  hand. 

Yet  what  to  do  I  could  not  see,  plague  and  rack  my 
wits  as  I  would,  as  I  sat  alternating  between  moods  of 
consternation,  rage,  and  searching  reflection. 

In  the  afternoon  I  had  a  horse  saddled  and  rode  out 

123 


124          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

of  the  town  for  a  gallop  in  the  country,  in  the  hope 
that  some  solution  of  the  problem  would  suggest 
itself ;  and  the  ride  cooled  and  sobered  me. 

Two  things  were  imperative.  We  must  find  the 
leakage  and  blind  the  traitor  as  to  our  real  intentions. 
Our  future  safety  rested  on  that  being  done  without 
delay  ;  and  for  this  purpose  I  must  see  Zoiloff  and 
consult  with  him.  As  soon  as  we  discovered  the  Judas 
among  us  we  could  take  measures  to  deal  with  him. 
If  possible,  that  should  be  done  by  cunning ;  but,  fail- 
ing that,  a  verse  as  I  was  to  bloodshed  and  violence, 
force  must  be  used.  But  an  idea  occurred  to  me  by 
which  he  could  be  effectively  hoodwinked,  and  I  stored 
it  by  for  use  should  the  occasion  come. 

As  to  the  Countess  Bokara,  there  were  two  courses. 
One  was  for  me  to  appear  to  play  into  her  hands  and 
so  gain  time  for  our  own  plans  to  ripen — a  line  of  action 
vastly  repulsive  to  me,  with  all  its  necessary  parapher- 
nalia of  deceit  and  lies  ;  the  other,  to  kidnap  her  and 
put  her  into  safe  keeping  until  the  crisis  should  be 
passed.  I  knew  that  I  could  lure  her  to  my  house,  and 
that  then  the  necessary  measures  could  be  taken;  but 
the  cowardice  of  the  plan  made  me  entertain  it  only 
with  disgust. 

In  the  case  of  a  man  I  would  not  have  hesitated  for 
a  moment ;  indeed  I  would  never  have  let  him  leave 
the  house  that  day.  But  with  a  woman  I  could  scarcely 
bear  the  thought  of  it,  although  this  woman  was  vastly 
more  dangerous  than  many  men. 

I  sought  keenly  for  some  other  scheme,  and  for  a 
moment  entertained  the  idea  of  going  to  the  Prince 
himself,  telling  him  all  frankly,  and  begging  his  aid  to 
deal  with  her.  But  I  abandoned  it.  I  remembered  he 
had  said  he  would  stand  by  the  throne  if  he  could  make 


THE  SPY  125 

sure  of  efficient  help,  and  I  calculated  that  his  vacilla- 
tion would  cause  him  to  turn  now  and  claim  the  help 
of  our  party  in  his  defence.  A  worse  than  useless 
effort,  as  I  knew,  owing  to  the  impossibility  of  rallying 
to  his  cause  the  men  who  had  been  turned  from  him 
by  his  weakness.  Not  only  could  we  do  no  good  for 
him,  but  we  should  imperil  the  great  patriotic  rising  for 
no  purpose. 

I  was  therefore  driven  back  upon  the  distasteful 
course  of  duping  the  woman  who  had  thus  threatened 
us. 

"  Would  to  heaven  she  were  a  man  ! "  And  each 
time  the  thought  broke  from  me  in  involuntary  utter- 
ance, I  pictured  how  easy  it  would  then  be  to  act. 

As  I  was  riding  back,  moody  and  thoughtful,  I  met 
the  carriage  of  the  Princess.  She  caught  sight  of  me 
when  I  was  still  at  a  distance,  and  her  lovely  face  was 
wreathed  with  a  radiant  smile  as  she  checked  her  horses 
and  greeted  me.  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  was  by  her 
side,  and  her  keen,  sharp  eyes  were  quick  to  read 
trouble  in  my  face. 

"  You  look  very  thoughtful, Count,"  said  the  Princess, 
"  as  if  heavy  military  affairs  were  weighing  upon  you." 

"  I  have  been  thinking  out  the  answer  to  a  very  in- 
genious problem  set  me  this  morning,"  I  said,  trying 
to  speak  lightly. 

"  It  has  been  a  trying  problem  for  your  horse,  I 
should  think,"  she  said,  glancing  at  his  flanks,  which 
were  covered  with  foam,  for  I  had  ridden  hard. 

"  Not  more  so  than  for  his  rider,  I  assure  you." 

"  I  hope  it  has  not  distressed  you  as  much." 

"  The  Count  carries  the  sign  of  that  in  his  face," 
said  the  little  Broumoff,  earnestly.  "  I  hope  it  is  no 
more  than  a  military  problem." 


126          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  All  problems  in  Bulgaria  have  their  military  side," 
I  answered  gravely. 

The  Princess's  eyes  showed  concern.  She  understood. 

"  We  must  not  let  your  horse  stand  while  he  is  so 
heated  with  his  problem,  Count.  If  you  would  like 
to  see  me,  I  shall  be  at  home  in  an  hour  from 
now." 

"With  your  permission,  I  will  call,"  I  said,  and 
saluted  her  as  she  drove  on.  "  I  will  have  the  search- 
light of  her  woman's  wit  on  the  matter,"  was  my 
thought  as  I  rode  home ;  and,  despite  the  grave  and 
critical  reason  for  the  interview,  I  was  yet  half  disposed 
to  be  glad  of  it,  so  much  store  did  I  set  on  the  opportu- 
nity of  being  in  her  presence.  I  could  scarcely  wait 
with  patience  for  the  minutes  to  run  out  until  I  could 
start  for  her  house. 

Mademoiselle  Broumoff  was  still  with  her  when  I 
arrived. 

"  You  have  news  of  some  kind  for  me,  Count?"  said 
the  Princess. 

"  Unfortunately,  I  bring  you  bad  news,  Madame." 

"  It  could  not  come  by  a  more  unwilling  messenger, 
I  am  sure." 

"  On  my  honour,  that  is  true,"  I  said  earnestly, 
touched  by  her  gentle  thought. 

"And  half  its  sting  will  be  blunted  since  I  hear  it 
from  you.  What  is  it  ?  Tell  me  frankly." 

"  Its  sting  cannot  but  be  sharp  enough  to  wound. 
I  fear  we  have  a  traitor  somewhere  high  up  in  our 
ranks ;  "  and  with  that  I  told  her  what  had  passed 
in  my  interview  with  the  Countess  Bokara. 

"  It  is  ugly  news  indeed,"  she  said  at  the  close,  pro- 
foundly moved.  "And  as  dangerous  as  it  is  ugly. 
What  think  you  of  it,  Nathalie?" 


THE  SPY  127 

Mademoiselle  Broumoff  had  turned  pale  with  sud- 
den consternation. 

"  I  cannot  think.  It  is  too  dreadful.  What  does  the 
Count  propose  ?  " 

The  Princess  turned  eagerly  to  me  for  my  counsel. 

"We  must  either  blind  the  Countess  Bokara  or  get 
her  away  to  a  place  of  safety  until  we  have  had  some 
time  to  act.  But  the  leakage  must  be  traced." 

"  Who  can  it  be,  Nathalie  ?  "  cried  the  Princess,  in  a 
tone  of  dismay.  "  Have  you  tried  to  cure  this  mad 
woman  of  her  prejudice  against  me,  Count?" 

"  I  have  had  as  yet  no  opportunity.  Since  my  first 
meeting  with  her,  I  have  seen  her  only  once  for  a  few 
minutes  in  the  presence  of  the  Prince  until  this  morn- 
ing, when  she  came  to  confound  me  with  this  news, 
and  to  urge  me  to  join  her  in  assassinating  you." 

"  She  chose  her  companion  curiously,"  said  the  Prin- 
cess, with  a  smile  of  confidence  that  went  straight  to 
my  heart.  "  I  hope  my  safety  may  never  be  in  less 
trusty  hands  than  yours." 

I  did  not  trust  myself  to  answer  with  more  than  a 
look,  and  as  I  turned  my  eyes  away  I  caught  the  little 
Broumoff  eying  us  keenly.  Then  the  Princess  startled 
us  both. 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  ;  I  will  see  her,"  she  said. 

"  Christina,  it  is  impossible  ! "  cried  Mademoiselle 
Broumoff  quickly.  "  She  would  murder  you  with  her 
own  hand." 

"  The  Count  will  guard  against  that  at  least,  and  he 
will  arrange  the  interview.  Will  you  not?" 

"  I  would  do  much  to  serve  you,  but  this  would  be 
a  hazardous  step,  and  one  that  can  scarcely  lead  to  any 
good.  You  can  have  but  the  faintest  idea  of  her 
hatred  of  you." 


128          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Then  I  can  learn  it  for  myself.  I  will  see  her  ;  " 
and  her  tone  was  decision  itself.  I  continued  my 
attempt  to  dissuade,  but  without  success,  and  she 
would  not  rest  until  I  had  agreed  to  arrange  a  meet- 
ing at  my  house.  One  stipulation  I  insisted  upon — 
that  I  should  be  present. 

"I  should  wish  that,"  she  assented.  "I  do  not 
mean  to  run  any  risks,  and  I  should  feel  safe  only  if 
you  were  there,  Count."  The  words  were  sweet 
enough  to  my  ears,  but  they  did  not  allay  my  alarm 
on  the  score  of  the  interview.  I  yielded  all  against 
my  judgment,  and  arranged  to  try  to  get  the  Countess 
Bokara  to  my  house  on  the  following  afternoon. 

When  that  was  settled  I  lingered  on,  inventing  pre- 
text upon  pretext  for  my  stay  that  I  might  steep  my 
senses  in  the  charm  of  her  presence,  the  light  of  her 
eyes,  and  the  music  of  her  voice.  Nor  did  she  seem 
unwilling  for  me  to  stay,  as  I  noticed  with  rare  de- 
light. 

But  under  all  the  pleasure  of  this  fascinating  dal- 
liance a  current  of  earnest  thought  was  running  in  my 
head,  and  when  I  left  her  I  had  already  formed  a  plan, 
for  which  I  proceeded  at  once  to  make  preparations. 

I  had  no  hope  that  the  Princess  would  reap  any 
benefit  from  the  coming  interview,  for  I  could  not  see 
a  possibility  of  any  good  resulting.  But  I  resolved 
that  if  she  failed  I  would  have  my  own  plan  in  read- 
iness. If  the  Countess  Bokara  came  to  the  house,  she 
should  not  leave  it  again  except  to  pass  into  some  place 
of  security  until  our  plans  were  complete. 

I  sent  at  once  in  quest  of  Zoiloff,  therefore,  and, 
having  explained  everything  that  had  happened,  out- 
lined my  scheme. 

"  You  are   sure  that  she  really  knew,  and  was  not 


THE  SPY  129 

merely  making  a  shrewd  guess  ?  "  he  asked.     "  I  can- 
not think  of  any  man  among  us  who  would  turn  blabber. 

But  if  I  find  him "     He  left  the  sentence  unfinished, 

but  the  threat  was  the  more  expressive. 

"  Yes,  yes,  there  are  twenty  ways  of  dealing  with  a 
man,"  said  I  ;  "but  a  woman  is  different." 

"A  traitor  is  a  traitor,  never  mind  the  sex;  and  I 
see  no  cause  for  mercy  for  one  more  than  another,"  he 
growled  into  his  beard,  his  look  very  set  and  stern. 
"  But  what  is  your  plan  ?" 

"  That  we  prepare  a  couple  of  rooms  here  in  my 
house,  and  keep  her  until  we  can  find  some  other  place 
equally  safe  and  secret." 

"Is  this  secret?  Are  you  sure  of  your  servants? 
May  we  not  look  for  the  leakage  among  them  ?  " 

"  Spernow  found  them  for  me,"  was  my  answer. 

"  Would  you  change  them  ? '' 

"  Every  man  and  woman  to-morrow,  if  you  can  fill 
their  places." 

"  I  can  do  that,"  he  assented  quickly.  "  Wait — 
better — can  you  let  me  see  them  all?  I  may  spot  the 
traitor,  or  at  all  events  separate  the  sheep  from  the 
goats." 

I  rang  the  bell  and  sent  for  my  steward.  When  he 
came  I  told  him  to  get  the  servants  all  together,  and 
send  them  in  to  me  one  at  a  time,  as  I  wished  to  ques- 
tion them  separately  about  a  certain  paper  which  I  said 
had  been  mislaid. 

They  came  in  one  by  one,  and  we  so  arranged  the 
position  that  each  stood  in  a  strong  light  for  Zoiloff  to 
be  able  to  watch  them  as  I  put  a  short  string  of  ques- 
tions. He  put  a  black  mark  against  three  whom  he  re- 
garded as  suspicious.  The  rest,  he  declared,  were  above 
question. 
9 


130          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  My  opinion  is  that  one  of  those  three  men  is  false 
and  a  -spy,  presumably  in  the  service  of  this  woman.  I 
expect  they  have  been  eavesdropping  when  you  and  I 
and  Spernow  have  been  together,  and  perhaps  have 
caught  some  unguarded  words.  The  thing  is  very 
ugly.  What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  Fool  them  with  their  own  tactics,"  said  I  readily, 
thinking  of  my  original  idea.  "  Let  us  have  a  hurried 
meeting  of  men  whom  we  can  trust,  have  it  to-night, 
explain  the  position  hurriedly,  and  pretend  that  we 
are  disclosing  to  them  the  real  object  of  the  plot — 
to  work  nominally  for  the  Princess,  but  really  for  the 
Russian  party — and  have  these  suspects  so  placed  that 
they  can  hear  what  is  going  on.  Then  catch  them  in 
the  very  act ;  and  send  them  packing  with  this  new 
version  of  the  thing  in  their  minds,  after  a  pretty  good 
fright,  and  under  oath  not  to  reveal  the  story." 

"Yes,  it  will  serve;  but' it  will  want  adroit  manage- 
ment," said  Zoiloff. 

"  You  say  my  steward  is  a  man  to  be  trusted  ?  " 

"  Absolutely.     I  know  him  well." 

"  Good.  Then  leave  that  part  to  me,  while  you 
hurry  off  and  bring  in  about  a  dozen  of  our  men.  Let 
their  arrival  be  a  little  dramatic,  to  give  colour  to  the 
drama,  so  that  the  spies  may  think  the  meeting  too 
important  to  be  missed  ;  and  I  will  answer  for  the 
rest." 

As  soon  as  he  had  gone  I  called  my  steward  and 
told  him  plainly  that  there  was  a  spy  in  the  house,  and 
that  we  suspected  one  of  the  three  men  I  named. 
Then  I  outlined  the  arrangements  he  was  to  make — 
to  get  as  many  of  the  other  servants  out  of  the  house 
as  he  could  without  creating  suspicion,  and  to  give 
those  who  remained  work  to  do  in  other  parts  of  the 


THE  SPY  131 

house,  so  that  the  three  should  be  free  to  spy  upon  us  ; 
that  then  he  should  set  them  separately  some  light 
kind  of  work  close  to  the  room  in  which  I  directed  the 
meeting  was  to  be  held,  of  which  he  was  to  drop  a 
hint.  He  was  a  shrewd  fellow,  and  entered  readily 
into  the  matter. 

"  One  of  them  is  no  traitor,  sir,"  he  said,  naming 
him.  "  I  can  answer  for  him  with  my  life.  I  have 
known  him  for  many  years,  and  I  am  sure  of  him. 
The  others  I  do  not  know  and  do  not  like." 

"Never,  mind,  test  all  three;  and  as  the  clock 
strikes  eleven  be  at  hand  to  watch  them  and  await  my 
orders." 

He  went  at  once  to  do  as  I  ordered;  and  that  he 
did  the  work  shrewdly  the  sequel  showed. 

Zoiloff  returned  very  soon  with  Spernow  and  another 
man,  and  I  received  them  in  the  room  which  had  been 
prepared  as  the  stage  for  our  little  drama.  When  the 
others  came,  I  noticed  with  a  smile  that  each  was 
cloaked  ;  and  in  all  we  made  a  party  of  fourteen.  We 
smoked  and  had.  wine  until  I  calculated  that  the  spies 
would  be  at  their  posts;  and  then,  speaking  in  a  tone 
lowered  but  sufficiently  distinct  to  reach  any  eaves- 
dropper, I  told  them  that  the  hour  had  come  when  we 
thought  it  necessary  to  make  a  most  important  dis- 
closure of  our  plans.  While  working  apparently  for 
the  Princess,  we  were,  in  fact,  Russian  agents  pledged 
to  the  Czar,  and  bent  upon  putting  the  Princess  upon 
the  throne  solely  in  his  Majesty's  interests;  and  I  went 
on  to  declare  that  the  hour  had  come  to  strike  the 
blow,  and  so  on. 

A  discussion  followed,  in  which  objections  were 
raised  and  answered,  while  I  kept  my  eye  upon  the 
clock  until  the  hand  was  approaching  the  hour  of 


132          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

eleven,  when  I  rose  and  declared  that  this  was  the 
moment  when  each  man  must  declare  himself. 

My  rising  was,  in  fact,  an  agreed  signal,  and  Zoiloff, 
Spernow,  and  another  man  stole  noiselessly  to  the  spots 
where  I  knew  any  listeners  would  be  sure  to  post 
themselves. 

As  the  clock  was  on  the  point  of  striking,  the  two 
doors  and  a  window  opening  to  a  conservatory  beyond 
were  flung  open,  and  one  of  the  spies  was  caught  in 
the  very  act  of  eavesdropping. 

"We  are  betrayed,  Count,  '  cried  Zoiloff  in  a  voice 
of  thunder,  dragging  in  the  man,  who,  shivering  and 
white  with  fear,  wriggled  and  struggled  to  free  himself 
from  his  stern-faced  captor. 

A  solemn  hush  fell  on  the  room,  while  the  trem- 
bling, panic-stricken  wretch  was  placed  in  the  midst  of 
the  men  who  closed  round  him.  The  silence  was  grim 
enough  to  have  tried  stronger  nerves  than  his. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  I  asked  sternly, 
breaking  the  silence. 

"  I  was  not  listening,  my  lord  ;  indeed " 

"  Don't  lie  to  me.  What  did  you  hear  ?  Quick, 
speak  the  truth,  for  your  life  hangs  on  it." 

"  I  heard  nothing,  I  swear  I  did  not.  I  was 
only " 

"  Silence !  "  I  thundered,  "  if  you  have  nothing  but 
lies  to  tell."  He  threw  himself  at  my  feet  and  begged 
for  mercy. 

"  Speak  the  truth,  then,"  I  said. 

He  glanced  all  round  the  ring  of  stern,  hard-set  faces 
and  threw  up  his  hands,  and  then  clasped  them  before 
his  face  in  despair. 

"Gentlemen,  you  have  seen  for  yourselves;  what 
say  you?"  I  asked. 


THE  SPY  133 

"  There  is  but  one  punishment  for  such  an  act — 
death !  "  cried  Zoiloff,  in  such  a  ringing,  merciless  tone 
that  the  rascal's  heart  may  well  have  sunk  within  him. 
"  Death,  if  he  will  not  speak." 

"  Death,  if  he  will  not  speak,"  echoed  the  rest. 

At  this  Zoiloff  drew  his  sword,  and  at  the  clash  of 
the  steel  in  the  dead  silence  the  wretch  moaned. 

"Will  you  speak,  or  die?"  I  said,  after  a  moment. 

"  I  heard  only  a  little,"  said  the  man  after  a  strug- 
gle, his  lips  so  dry  and  parched  that  he  could  only 
speak  with  an  effort. 

"  Tell  it ! "  I  thundered  again ;  and  word  by  word 
he  told  us  that  he  heard  me  declare  that  we  were 
Russian  agents,  and  all  that  followed. 

His  fear  of  the  death  that  he  believed  imminent  was 
sickening  to  behold,  and  made  me  anxious  to  close  the 
scene. 

"  You  have  heard  this  wretch's  confession,  gentle- 
men ;  what  say  you  ?  " 

"  He  must  die  ! "  cried  Zoiloff.  "  In  the  name  of 
the  Czar  I  claim  his  life.  Every  Russian  interest  in 
the  country  is  in  peril  while  he  lives." 

"  You  will  vote,  if  you  please,"  I  said.  And  we 
went  through  a  form  of  writing  each  man's  decision  on 
paper. 

"  The  verdict  is  unanimous,"  I  said,  glancing  at  the 
paper.  "You  must  die.  I  would  have  spared  your 
life,  but  I  am  powerless  against  all  present." 

At  that  he  clung  to  me,  clutching  at  my  hands  and 
at  my  coat,  praying,  beseeching,  imploring,  and  vowing 
that  he  would  never  say  a  word  of  what  he  had  over- 
heard. 

"  Whose  spy  are  you  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  am  in  the  service  of  the  Countess  Bokara." 


134          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Wait ;  "  and  I  left  the  room,  wishing  to  confer  with 
my  steward  as  to  the  other  two  suspects.  The  steward 
assured  me  that  he  had  found  them  just  where  they 
had  been  directed  to  remain.  I  went  back  to  the 
room,  and  the  wretch  broke  out  again  with  cries  and 
waitings  and  prayers. 

I  could  bear  no  more  of  it,  and  put  an  end  to  the 
scene  at  once. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  heard  some  strange  reports  with 
regard  to  this  man.  We  will,  with  your  leave,  post- 
pone his  punishment,  and  I  will  be  answerable  for  his 
safe  custody." 

"  Deal  with  him  as  you  will,  Count,"  said  Zoiloff. 
Calling  in  the  steward,  I  gave  the  man  into  his  keep- 
ing, and  they  left  the  room  together. 

The  meeting  broke  up  soon  after  ;  and  Zoiloff  re- 
mained only  a  minute  to  exchange  congratulations 
upon  the  success  of  the  ruse. 

"  We  have  the  spy,  and  to-morrow  we  will  deal  with 
his  employer ;  "  and  his  look  was  as  black  as  a  thunder- 
cloud as  he  spoke. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

FACE  TO  FACE 

SOON  after  Zoiloff  had  left  me  I  sent  for  the  spy.  It 
was  part  of  the  scheme  that  he  should  be  liberated  at 
once,  in  order  that,  if  he  pleased,  he  should  carry  the 
news  that  he  had  heard  to  his  employer. 

The  interview  was  short.  I  told  him  I  had  de- 
termined to  spare  his  life  and  set  him  free  if  he  would 
take  a  solemn  vow  never  to  reveal  what  he  had  heard, 
and  to  leave  the  country  at  once.  There  was  no  mis- 
taking the  genuineness  of  his  terror,  and  he  was  eager 
to  take  any  oath  I  wished  to  impose.  As  I  dismissed 
him  I  said,  with  all  the  sternness  I  could  concentrate 
into  my  voice  and  looks  : 

"  Remember  that  from  this  hour  you  are  a  marked 
man.  Every  Russian  agent  in  this  country  will  know 
you  ;  your  every  action  will  be  watched,  and  every 
word  you  speak  will  be  noted.  One  breath  of  treach- 
ery, one  single  suggestion  of  further  deceit,  and  you 
are  a  dead  man.  Your  life  hangs  on  the  thinnest  of 
threads.  And  if  ever  you  feel  tempted  to  break  your 
oath,  recall  this  night  and  the  stern  faces  of  the  ring 
of  men  who  voted  that  you  should  die.  Go  ! " 

He  staggered  out  of  the  room,  reeling  like  a  broken- 
witted  drunkard. 

After  my  regimental  work  on  the  following  day 
Zoiloff  came  to  me,  looking  worn  and  wearied. 

'35 


136          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  I  have  been  at  work  all  night,"  he  said ;  "  but  I 
have  done  good.  I  have  found  a  place  where  this 
woman,  Bokara,  can  be  held  in  absolute  safety  for  ten 
years  if  necessary,  if  once  we  can  get  her  there." 

And  he  told  me  that  one  of  our  party,  named 
Kroubi,  had  a  large  house  in  the  middle  of  his  estate, 
in  a  tower  of  which  just  such  a  prison  as  we  sought 
could  be  found. 

"  You  are  sure  of  the  man  ?  " 

"  As  of  myself.    And  he  himself  will  be  her  keeper." 

"  She  is  a  woman  of  rare  fascination." 

"  Would  she  fascinate  me,  think  you  ?  '  he  asked,  a 
smile  on  his  rugged  face. 

"  There  are  not  many  men  like  you,  Zoiloff,"  said  I, 
warmly,  for  during  our  intercourse  he  had  won  upon 
me  strangely.  He  was  such  a  staunch,  genuine, 
thorough  fellow. 

"  That  is  pleasant  hearing  from  you/'  he  answered. 
"  But  you  need  have  no  fear  on  Kroubi's  account. 
Every  impulse  of  his  strong  character  which  is  not 
devoted  to  our  cause  is  absorbed  by  his  hatred  of 
women." 

"We  will  trust  him,  then,"  I  agreed.  "And  now 
let  us  consider  how  to  get  her  to  his  place."  And 
when  we  had  threshed  this  out  and  made  our  plans  the 
time  for  the  Countess  Bokara's  visit  was  close. 

I  felt  both  anxious  and  excited.  The  whole  future 
of  our  plans  hung,  as  I  knew,  in  the  balance,  while  the 
risks  of  the  interview  between  her  and  the  Princess 
seemed  to  grow  as  the  time  approached. 

The  Princess  arrived  first,  and  I  went  to  her  im- 
mediately. 

"  Has  she  come  ?  "  was  her  first  question, eagerly  asked 

"  It  is  not  yet  time  ;  but  I  think  she  will  come.  Do 
you  know  what  happened  here  last  night  ?  " 


FACE  TO  FACE  137 

"  I  have  heard  something,  but  would  rather  hear  it 
all  from  you.  It  was  good  news,  I  believe — but  it  was 
sure  to  be,  you  are  so  zealous  in  my  cause,"  she  said. 
"  Tell  me  everything." 

I  told  her  and  she  listened,  deeply  interested,  her 
eyes  watching  my  face  as  I  spoke.  At  the  close  she 
smiled  and  said : 

"  One  would  think  from  your  telling,  Count,  that  you 
had  been  merely  a  bystander  instead  of  the  prime 
mover  in  it  all." 

"  Captain  Zoiloff  did  more  than  I,  for  it  was  he  who 
detected  the  miscreant.  The  rest  was  simple  enough." 

"  Then  should  I  keep  my  feelings  and  words  of 
thanks  for  him,  and  think  of  you  as  one  who  serves 
me,  as  it  were,  by  routine." 

"  We  are  all  devoted  to  your  service,  Princess,"  I 
said. 

"  No  one  more  faithful  than  the  others  ?  " 

"  None  less  faithful  than  myself,  I  hope." 

"  I  like  that  standard.  Pray  Heaven  that  you  are 
right,  for  then  I  am  a  lucky  woman  indeed ; "  and  her 
eyes  shone  with  a  light  that  was  like  to  dazzle  me. 

"  You  will  be  on  your  guard  this  afternoon  with  the 
Countess  Bokara,"  said  I,  after  a  pause  I  found  em- 
barrassing. 

"  I  am  always  on  my  guard — except,  I  think,  with 
you,"  she  added,  musingly. 

"  I  mean,  you  will  not  let  her  approach  too  close  to 
you.  I  know  her  to  be  a  dangerous  woman,  capable 
of  any  madness.'' 

"  You  will  be  there,"  she  said,  with  an  accent  of 
trust  in  me  which  I  read  with  delight. 

"  But  still  she  must  not  come  too  near  you.  Infinite 
mischief  might  be  wrought  in  a  single  unguarded 
moment." 


138          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  You  think  she  may  even  try  to  murder  me  in  your 
presence?" 

"  I  believe  her  capable  of  any  desperate  deed  ;  that 
is  why  I  urge  you,"  I  cried,  very  earnestly. 

She  smiled,  let  her  eyes  rest  on  mine  with  a  look 
that  seemed  as  tender  and  warm  as  a  ray  of  summer 
morning  sunshine,  while  a  faint  blush  tinged  her 
cheeks. 

"  I  will  not  cause  you  a  moment's  needless  anxiety  ; 
you  have  had  too  many  on  my  account  already,"  she 
said  gently  ;  and  in  the  pause  that  followed  a  servant 
entered  to  say  that  the  Countess  Bokara  was  waiting 
to  see  me. 

We  had  arranged  that  I  should  see  her  first  alone, 
and  I  found  her  in  a  mood  of  jubilant  and  boastful 
confidence. 

"  I  knew  you  would  come  round  to  my  views,  Count, 
though  I  confess  I  did  not  think  the  effect  of  what  I 
said  yesterday  would  be  felt  quite  so  quickly.  I  was 
disposed  to  give  you  at  least  three  or  four  days,  but  I 
like  you  better  for  your  promptness."  She  spoke  ex- 
ultingly. 

"  I  am  not  so  confident  as  yourself  that  our  interview 
will  end  to  your  liking,"  I  answered. 

"  I  am  confident,  and  have  even  more  reason  for  it 
than  you  at  present  dream.  You  may  prepare  your- 
self for  great  news." 

"  I  am  not  good  at  riddles.  What  news  do  you 
mean  ?  " 

"  That  I  do  not  consider  your  help  so  necessary  as 
I  once  thought." 

That  there  was  some  new  danger  beneath  her  words 
I  was  certain,  but  what  it  was  I  could  not  guess. 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,"  I  said  shortly. 

"A  child  could  see  that.     I  like  the  look  of  per- 


FACE  TO  FACE  139 

plexity  and  fear  on  your  face  ;  "  and  she  laughed  in  a 
hard,  sneering  tone.  "  You  have  been  very  useful  to 
me,  after  all,  though  you  do  not  know  it.  What  you 
showed  me  yesterday  gave  me  the  clue  ;  and  I  have 
been  merciful — in  a  way,  very  merciful.  Death  is 
ever  sweetest  to  a  woman  when  it  comes,  or  seems  to, 
from  the  hand  of  one  she  loves." 

"  You  have  a  pleasant  wit,  and  your  laugh  fits  it 
well,"  I  said  drily. 

"A  jibe  moves  you  more  quickly  than  a  threat,  my 
friend.  And  this  is  a  jibe  in  which  you  have  had  un- 
wittingly a  big  share ;  "  and  her  bitter  tone  was  in  full 
harmony  with  the  hard,  confident  glance  which  she 
levelled  at  me.  "  Did  you  think  I  could  be  merciful 
even  to  those  I  hate  ?  " 

"  Have  you  come  to  do  no  more  than  discuss  your 
own  qualities?" 

"  I  have  not  come  to  be  your  dupe,"  she  retorted 
fiercely.  "You  have  discovered  my  spy,  I  find,  and  I 
congratulate  you  on  the  clever  stroke  with  which  you 
have  blinded  his  eyes.  But  it  is  too  late,  Count." 

"  The  man  was  caught  last  night  in  the  very  act  of 
spying,  and  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  He  con- 
fessed you  had  employed  him." 

She  waved  her  hand,  as  though  the  matter  were 
nothing. 

"  He  had  served  his  turn,  let  him  go.  I  have  no 
longer  need  of  him  ;  and,  of  course,  you  would  have 
killed  him  had  your  last  night's  meeting  been  anything 
but  a  clever  ruse.  But  you  scared  his  poor  wits  out  of 
him — not  a  very  brilliant  or  difficult  achievement  per- 
haps— and  by  now  he  is  off  to  the  frontier  as  fast  as 
his  shaky  legs  will  carry  him.  But  that  is  nothing. 
Tell  me,  Count,  what  would  you  do  if  within  an  hour 
you  were  to  hear  that  your  Princess  had  fallen  dead  ?  " 


140          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Probably  I  should  seek  out  her  murderess,  and  kill 
her,"  I  replied  hotly. 

"  Good  ;  then  I  was  right.  You  do  love  her,  eh  ? 
Then  listen.  She  trusts  you,  of  course,  trusts  you 
blindly  and  implicitly  ;  and  if  you  sent  her  a  little 
pretty  gift,  a  little  gentle  act  of  courtesy  from  so  gal- 
lant and  faithful  a  servant,  would  she  prize  it,  think 
you?" 

"  I  don't  wish  to  discuss  such  matters  with  you,"  I 
answered  ;  but  in  my  heart  felt  glad  indeed  that  the 
Princess  was  safe  in  my  house  at  that  very  moment. 

"You  don't  wear  your  heart  on  your  sleeve,  you 
mean.  Men  of  your  sort  always  think  they  do  not. 
And  yet  the  knowledge  of  the  love  of  such  a  man 
would  be  precious  to  many  women.  That  is  how  you 
have  been  useful  to  me.  Now  can  you  read  the 
riddle  ?  " 

I  thought  I  could,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  Yesterday,  when  I  was  here,  you  showed  me  what 
you  could  not  hide  from  my  eyes,  that  this  woman  had 
drawn  you  to  her,  as  she  has  drawn  hundreds  of  others. 
But  this  time  she  has  dared  to  draw  you  from  alle- 
giance to  me ; "  this  with  a  touch  of  sudden  passion, 
which  passed  instantly  as  she  continued  in  a  tone  of 
exquisitely  modulated  softness,  suggestive  of  the  purr 
of  a  tigress. 

"  When  I  left  you  I  saw  how  I  could  use  the  secret 
I  had  surprised.  By  now  I  have  done  my  work,  so  I 
may  speak  frankly.  I  shall  not  want  your  aid  now. 
Thinking  that  the  Princess  might  be  pleased  with  a 
little  token  from  her  latest  lover — you  need  not  wince, 
it  does  not  matter  now  who  knows  your  secret — I  sent 
her  in  your  name  a  little  emblem  of  your  devotion. 
And  what  more  fitting  emblem  could  there  be  than  a 
rare  and  beautiful  rose  ?  " 


FACE  TO  FACE  141 

"  It  was  an  unwarrantable  liberty,  Madam,"  I  cried, 
with  a  flush  of  anger.  She  laughed  at  my  indignation. 

"But  it  was  more  than  an  emblem  of  devotion,  for 
it  carried  in  its  soft,  sweet  petals  the  essence — of  in- 
stant death.  You  know  these  things  are  common  in 
this  East  of  ours.  One  scent  of  that  rose,  enjoyed,  no 
doubt,  with  a  murmur  of  your  name,  and  a  thought  of 
your  welcome  little  courtesy — and  I  and  my  Prince 
were  rid  of  her  forever."  A  light  of  malignant  triumph 
flashed  out  of  her  large  dangerous  eyes  as  she  finished  : 
"  I  shall  not  need  your  dagger  now,  nor  the  other 
weapons  of  your  trade." 

"You  mean  that  the  Princess  is  dead?"  I  asked 
quietly. 

"  The  news  will  soon  be  spread  abroad  noisily 
enough  ;  and  you  may  find  it  sufficiently  embarrassing 
to  explain  your  share,  in  it." 

"  You  have  the  malice  of  a  devil." 

"  It  was  a  sweet  death  for  her.  Was  I  not  right 
when  I  said  I  was  merciful  ?  "  she  cried,  with  another 
hateful  laugh.  "  And  now  I  have  come  to  warn  you, 
that  you  may  fly  if  you  wish  while  there  is  yet  time." 
She  gloated  in  triumph  over  my  silence,  which  she 
read  as  that  of  consternation. 

"  You  are  a  brave  woman,"  I  said  at  length.  "  If 
what  you  said  were  true  you  might  have  guessed  that 
you  would  not  leave  this  house  alive." 

"  It  is  true,"  she  cried  daringly. 

"  Yes,  as  to  intent,  perhaps.  But  the  Princess  her, 
self  is  safe,  and  here  in  this  house  waiting  to  see 
you." 

"  It  is  false,"  she  said  fiercely.  "  I  don't  believe 
you  ; "  and  she  stared  at  me,  the  veritable  type  of 
disconcerted  fury. 

"  It  is  true,"  I  replied  shortly  ;  adding  sternly  :  "  And 


142  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

true,  too,  that  though  you  failed  in  the  act,  you  shall 
answer  for  the  intent." 

She  was  magnificent  in  her  rage,  as  she  stood  at  bay, 
staring  open-eyed  at  me ;  and  for  many  moments  not 
a  word  was  spoken  by  either  of  us. 

"  Let  me  see  her !  "  she  exclaimed  at  length. 

"  Not  alone,"  said  I  significantly.     I  rang  the  bell. 

"  Tell  the  Princess  Christina  we  will  wait  upon  her," 
I  said  to  the  servant,  and  a  minute  later  the  two  were 
face  to  face,  while  I  looked  on,  all  anxiety  and  appre- 
hension as  to  the  result. 

They  stood  for  a  moment  looking  at  one  another ; 
the  Princess  calm  and  dignified,  in  an  attitude  of 
queenly  grace,  her  speaking,  lustrous  eyes  alight  with 
the  hope  with  which  she  had  sought  the  interview. 
But  the  hope  was  quickly  clouded  with  a  dash  of  an- 
ticipative  disappointment,  caused  by  the  Countess 
Bokara's  vehement  passion  and  hate  which  envenomed 
her  fiery  glances,  and  spoke  in  every  straining  move- 
ment of  her  lithe  sinuous  body. 

"Your  Highness  surely  does  me  great  honour  in 
this  reception,"  said  the  Countess  scornfully,  breaking 
the  short  silence. 

"  I  am  sorry  we  have  not  met  before,"  was  the 
mild,  temporising  reply.  "  I  would  have  gladly  seen 
you  to  remove  your  too  evident  prejudice  against  me." 

"  I  have  heard  that  you  are  accustomed  to  rely  much 
upon  the  attractions  of  your  beauty.  But  I  am  not  a 
man." 

"  I  am  desirous  only  of  disarming  by  mutual  under- 
standing so  powerful  and,  as  I  have  too  much  reason 
to  know,  so  bitter  an  enemy.  Tell  me,  Countess,  why 
are  you  so  bitter  against  me?"  The  tone  was  very 
gentle,  almost  solicitous,  but  I  could  see  that  the 
other's  sneer  had  gone  home. 


FACE  TO  FACE  143 

"  Why  should  I  tell  you  what  you  must  know  full 
well?" 

"  If  people  speak  truly  of  you  we  have  assuredly  the 
same  end  in  view — the  welfare  of  Bulgaria." 

"  I  am  not  half  a  Russian,  and  the  tool  of  tyrants." 

"Am  I?"  and  the  Princess's  eyes  flashed.  "Your 
agent  has  discovered  our  real  designs  and  carried  them 
to  your  ears.  You  know  now  our  cause  is  the  cause 
of  freedom,  and  that  we  are  no  more  the  tools  of  Rus- 
sia than  you  can  be.  Why,  then,  say  this  ?  And  why 
my  enemy?" 

I  was  astonished  and  not  a  little  dismayed  by  her 
frankness. 

"  Your  conversion  has  been  rapid.  It  is  but  a  few 
nights  since  your  friends,  impelled  by  zeal  for  you  and 
for  your  cause,  tried  to  murder  me." 

"  That  was  not  done  with  my  knowledge.  God 
knows  I  would  not  spill  a  drop  of  blood.  What  would 
your  death  profit  me  or  the  end  I  have  in  view  ?  Do 
you  think  I  am  so  mad  as  to  wish  the  country  to  be- 
lieve  I  desire  to  rule  by  terror,  the  sword,  and  the 
secret  dagger  ?  " 

"  They  do  believe  it !  "  cried  the  Countess  in  a  tone 
of  hate ;  "  and  they  do  not  wish  you  to  rule  at  all. 
Who  has  called  you  to  take  the  place  of  the  Prince,  to 
plot  against  him,  and  to  drive  him  from  the  throne  ? 
What  are  you  doing  but  nurturing  and  fostering  the 
villainous  ingratitude  of  the  people,  that  by  this  act  of 
double  treachery  you  may  mount  the  throne?" 

"  You  forget,  the  Prince  is  himself  resolved  to  abdi- 
cate," I  interposed. 

"  And  why  ?  "  she  asked  hotly,  turning  upon  me. 
"  Why,  but  that  the  plots  which  the  Princess  here 
and  those  in  league  with  her  have  organised  against  his 
life  are  driving  him  away?" 


144  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  This  is  no  work  of  mine,  Countess.  Before  my 
name  was  ever  mentioned,  before  the  thought  of  my 
ever  taking  the  throne  was  ever  suggested,  the  Prince's 
position  had  become  untenable." 

"  Because  your  allies,  these  hateful  Russians,  had 
made  it  so  in  preparation  for  your  coming,  or  the 
coming  of  some  other  tool." 

"  But  now  that  you  know  I  am  acting  not  for,  but 
against,  them,  the  cause  of  your  enmity,  if  this  be  the 
cause,  is  removed." 

"  Do  you  wish  me  to  join  you,  then,  to  swell  the 
train  of  your  slaves  ?  " 

"  I  wish  to  disarm  your  hostility." 

"  To  suborn  me  from  my  allegiance  to  my  Prince, 
you  mean?"  Her  answers  were  growing  in  bitterness 
and  vehemence  each  time  she  spoke.  "Your  Highness 
mistakes  me.  I  am  no  traitor  to  my  sovereign." 

"  But  the  Prince  is  bent  on  abdicating." 

"  Because  you  and  others  are  driving  him  to  it.  You 
ask  why  am  I  your  enemy.  This  is  the  reason,  or  one 
that  will  serve." 

"You  have  others." 

"  Yes,  I  hate  you.  Is  that  what  you  wish  me  to  say  ? 
I  hate  you.  Is  it  as  musical  for  you  to  hear  it  as  for 
me  to  speak  it  ?  I  hope  it  is.  I  hate  you,  and  thank 
my  God  that  I  have  a  chance  of  telling  you  the  truth 
to  your  face."  Her  passion,  only  lightly  held  in  re- 
straint, broke  its  bounds  now,  and  her  eyes  flamed,  and 
her  lips  quivered  with  the  rush  of  it.  "  What  have  you 
ever  done  in  regard  to  me  that  has  not  earned  that 
hate  ?  Where  are  the  men,  good  and  true  to  the  Prince 
and  myself,  that  you  have  lured  away  from  me  ?  What 
are  your  actions,  one  and  all,  but  those  of  deadly  an- 
tagonism to  me  ?  Am  I  a  craven  sheep  that  I  shall  see 
my  friends  alienated,  my  Prince  threatened,  my  cause 


"  MY   INTERPOSITION    WAS    ILL-TIMED    AND    UNFORTUNATE. 


—Page  145 


FACE  TO  FACE  145 

destroyed,  and  my  very  life  attempted,  and  only  bleat 
a  few  baa-words  of  thanks  to  you  for  your  gracious 
thoughts  of  me  ?  God  has  not  inspired  my  heart  with 
that  meekness,  and  while  I  have  breath  to  breathe,  a 
voice  to  speak,  and  hands  to  do,  I  will  be  your  enemy. 
Is  that  enough,  your  Highness  ?  "  She  spoke  with  such 
furious  vehemence  that  at  the  close  she  was  breathless ; 
and  she  clenched  her  hands,  and  glared  with  hate  at 
the  Princess. 

"  I  have  not  done  the  things  you  say.  I  could  not 
do  them,"  said  the  Princess,  in  a  tone  whose  calmness 
did  not  hide  from  me  the  ache  of  disappointment  in 
her  heart. 

"  It  is  easy  to  deny.  It  costs  but  a  breath,"  was  the 
sneering  answer.  "  But  you  ask  me  will  I  cease  to  be 
your  enemy  ?  "  she  added,  her  eyes  flashing  dangerously. 
"  I  will — on  one  condition." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  One  that  will  at  least  test  your  sincerity.  Give  up 
this  enterprise  of  yours ;  cease  to  persecute  my  Prince, 
and  I  will  cease  to  be  your  enemy."  She  put  the  con- 
ditions with  a  leer  of  malice,  and  stood  waiting  for 
the  answer  with  a  curling  lip  and  insolent  mien. 

"  I  am  not  persecuting  the  Prince,  and  from  my  heart 
I  declare  that  if  Bulgaria  could  be  freed  by  him  I  would 
serve  him  only  too  gladly." 

"  I  think  no  good  can  come  of  prolonging  this  inter- 
view," I  said,  for  I  could  not  bear  to  hear  the  ring  of 
insult  in  every  word  which  the  Countess  uttered.  But 
my  interposition  was  ill-timed  and  unfortunate.  Turn- 
ing partly  toward  me  the  Countess  said,  in  a  tone  of 
simulated  submission,  the  irony  of  which  was  mad- 
dening: 

"  Your  Highness's  newest  and  most  faithful  adviser 
would  spare  your  ears  the  blunt  utterances  of  truth 


146          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

from  my  rough  lips.     A  renegade  is  always  solicitous 
to  temper  the  wind  for  his  latest  mistress." 

I  drew  a  deep  breath  of  rage  at  the  insult  and  the 
foul  slander  insinuated  with  such  devilish  adroitness. 

"  The  Count  is  right,  Madam,  I  must  admit  my  de- 
feat," said  the  Princess  haughtily. 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  withdraw,  Countess,"  said  I 
sternly. 

She  laughed  with  wanton  insolence. 

"  I  am  no  servant  of  yours  to  be  bade  to  do  this  or 
ordered  to  do  that.  I  came  to  this  interview  to  please 
you,  I  shall  leave  it  to  please  myself ; "  and  she  drew 
herself  up  to  her  full  height  in  defiance.  Then  she 
laughed  again  a  loud,  ringing  laugh,  forced,  of  course, 
but  a  clever  parody  of  spontaneous  merriment.  "  Upon 
my  word,  this  is  a  pretty  scene,  and  I  have  vastly  en- 
joyed it.  I  have,  alas  !  no  weapon  with  me  save  my 
tongue,  or  there  should  have  been  a  different  ending, 
I  do  assure  you.  But  that  I  can  use.  You  have  shrunk 
from  the  truth  to-day,  as  the  Count  here  shrank  yes- 
terday, when  I  discovered  the  secret  of  his  warm  alle- 
giance to  you."  , 

"  Silence,  Madam  !  "  I  cried  hastily,  fearing  what  her 
rash  tongue  would  say. 

"  Is  he  not  earnest,  your  Highness  ?  Is  he  not  a 
man  to  be  proud  of  ?  To  warm  a  woman's  heart  ?  I 
told  you  just  now  of  men  you  had  won  away  from  my 
Prince  and  me — here  stands  the  latest  of  those  rene- 
gades, a  man  who  loves  you."  She  uttered  the  words 
with  an  accent  of  assumed  sincerity.  "  I  congratulate 
you,  Princess,  upon  your  conquest.  I  cannot  hope  to 
regain  for  my  Prince  a  man  who  is  aflame  with  a  new- 
born passion  for  you." 

"  This  is  monstrous,"  I  cried,  my  face  flushed  with 
anger  and  concern.  "  If  you  do  not  leave  the  room,  I 


FACE  TO  FACE  147 

shall  summon  my  servants  that  they  may  remove 
you." 

She  faced  me  unflinchingly. 

"  You  dare  not,"  she  said. 

"  Then  be  silent,  and  end  these  ill-timed  jibes,  and 
leave  the  room." 

"Jibes?  Is  that  a  jibe?  And  she  raised  her  arm 
and  waved  it  to  where  the  Princess  Christina  stood, 
her  face  covered  with  deep  ruby  blushes.  "  An  uncon- 
ventional love  avowal,  at  any  rate.  You  are  a  brave 
man,  Count  Benderoff,  and  I  do  believe  that  much 
rarer  thing,  a  modest  one  ;  but  at  least  you  should  not 
quarrel  with  me  because  I  tell  the  Princess  that  you 
love  her,  and  let  you  see  by  the  surest  token  that  a 
woman  can  give  that  she  loves  you  in  return." 

At  this  the  Princess  sank  upon  a  chair  and  concealed 
her  face  in  her  hands,  between  the  white  fingers  of  which 
the  deep  red  glow  was  showing. 

I  turned  a\tfay  and  would  not  let  her  think  I  had 
seen  it. 

"  Your  cowardice  and  insolence  have  drained  my 
patience,"  I  said  fiercely  to  the  Countess.  "  Come," 
and  I  went  to  the  door. 

She  stood  a  few  seconds,  as  if  hesitating  whether  to 
defy  me  longer,  and  glanced  in  infinite  triumph  at  the 
troubled  figure  of  the  Princess. 

"  If  the  interview  has  not  accomplished  your  object," 
she  cried,  "  at  least  it  has  not  been  without  interest ;  " 
and  with  a  last  insolent,  exultant  laugh,  she  swept  out 
of  the  room,  followed  closely  by  me,  more  resolved 
than  ever  to  cage  this  angry,  dangerous  tigress. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE 

As  we  crossed  the  hall  she  turned  to  leave  the  house 
by  the  front  door,  where  Zoiloff  was  standing. 

"  I  have  something  still  to  say  to  you,"  I  said 
shortly,  as  I  opened  the  door  of  the  room  where  I  had 
seen  her  before  this  futile  interview. 

"  You  wish  to  thank  me,  I  suppose,  for  having  been 
the  means  of  revealing  to  each  of  you  the  other's 
love,"  she  answered,  with  another  of  her  flaunting 
laughs  ;  though  she  changed  quickly  and  said  :  "  You 
may  spare  your  thanks.  I  had  a  purpose — and  you 
will  soon  learn  the  reason.  I  am  a  dangerous  woman, 
for  all  your  contempt  of  me." 

"  Too  dangerous  to  be  at  liberty,  Countess,"  I 
answered  curtly.  "  It  is  to  tell  you  that  I  have  brought 
you  here." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  That  you  will  dare — 
The  words  died  away  as  she  read  my  purpose  in  my 
eyes,  and  the  first  symptom  of  fear  I  had  ever  seen  in 
her  showed  itself,  only  however  to  be  at  once  crushed 
out  of  sight.  One  of  her  bitter  sneers  followed.  "  So 
I  have  put  my  foot  in  a  trap,  you  think,  and  your 
lovely  Princess  is  but  a  paltry  decoy.  A  truly  royal 
part  for  the  august  ruler  that  is  to  be  !  " 

"  Your  railing  falls  on  unheeding  ears,  Countess.     I 

have  made  my  decision." 
148 


THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE  149 

"  You  are  an  ingrate,  my  lord  the  Count ;  and  in 
your  haste  to  strike  at  me  you  are  forgetting  the  wound 
you  do  to  your  Princess." 

"  Your  insulting  references  will  not  turn  me  from 
my  course,"  I  said  shortly,  my  anger  against  her  burn- 
ing like  a  fever. 

"  Then  shall  I  say  you  honour  yourself  and  the 
woman  you  love  by  imprisoning  me  for  discovering 
and  revealing  your  love  secret  ;  and  that  you  give 
proof  of  your  courage  by  keeping  me  here  that  you 
may  stay  and  gloat  over  your  victim  ?  "  I  saw  her 
start  as  some  fresh  thought  struck  her,  and  she  looked 
sharply  at  me  and  appeared  to  search  her  memory 
rapidly.  Then  she  smiled  the  same  exultant  smile  that 
I  had  noticed  before,  while  a  dangerous  light  came 
back  to  her  eyes. 

"  I  will  not  attempt  to  escape." 

"  It  will  be  useless — the  house  is  sufficiently  guarded, 
and  we  have  prepared  for  your  reception." 

"  I  am  content  if  you  but  give  me  your  company, 
for  you  are  a  man  on  whose  feelings  it  is  a  delight  to 
play,  and  should  make  a  pleasant  gaoler." 

"  I  shall  not  be  your  gaoler,  but  you  will  be  in  safe 
hands.  I  have  only  to  warn  you  that  any  effort  to 
escape  my  custody  will  be  useless.  You  probably  know 
me  well  enough  by  this  time  to  be  sure  of  that." 

"  I  am  sure  of  one  thing — you  will  not  keep  me 
here.  Let  me  give  you  my  reasons."  There  was  again 
a  sudden  but  complete  change  in  her  manner,  as  she 
spoke  in  a  calm,  collected  tone.  I  distrusted  her  every 
mood,  this  calmness  as  much  as  any. 

"  I  can't  stay  to  listen.  I  wish  you  merely  to  un 
derstand  that  it  will  avail  you  nothing  to  beat  against 
the  bars  of  your  cage."  As  I  spoke  I  turned  to  leave, 


i$o          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

and  with  a  quick  rush,  while  my  eyes  were  off  her,  she 
was  at  the  door  as  soon  as  I.  I  put  my  hand  to  it  to 
prevent  her  opening  it,  and  to  my  chagrin  she  locked 
the  door  herself  and  put  the  key  in  her  pocket. 

"  I  have  that  to  say  to  you  which  cannot  wait  even 
to  suit  the  woman  you  love.  If  I  must  stay  here,  so 
shall  you  ;  "  and  she  walked  to  the  other  side  of  the 
room  and  threw  herself  into  a  low  chair,  from  which 
she  looked  at  me  defiantly. 

This  manoeuvre  perplexed  me  vastly.  I  was  all  un- 
willing to  remain,  and  yet  I  could  not  leave  now  with- 
out either  a  struggle  to  get  possession  of  the  key  or 
by  summoning  assistance  to  have  the  door  broken  in. 
I  cursed  myself  for  my  folly  in  having  allowed  the  key 
to  remain  on  the  inside,  although  I  could  not  have 
foreseen  this  dilemma. 

What  was  her  object  ?  Had  she  any  beyond  the 
desire  to  keep  me  in  the  room  while  she  loaded  me 
with  her  invective  and  reproaches  ?  What  had  been 
the  thought  which  had  struck  her,  and  which  had 
seemed  to  lead  to  her  sudden  assumption  of  calm- 
ness? 

"  Do  you  think  it  strange  that  I  should  wish  for  your 
company,  Count?  "  she  asked  in  a  voice  soft  and  gentle 
enough  to  have  been  the  medium  of  a  love  message. 
"  For  all  your  ungentle  treatment  of  me  and  for  what 
I  deem  your  faithlessness,  I  can  find  it  in  me  to  admire 
you.  I  have  said  some  bitter  things  to  you,  I  know. 
Forget  them.  Take  them  for  the  ravings  only  of  a 
violent  woman — or  better,  the  revilings  of  a  disap- 
pointed one.  It  is  no  light  disappointment  to  lose 
such  a  man  as  you."  Her  tone  was  one  of  subtle  witch- 
ery, tinctured  with  a  sadness  that  might  have  sprung 
from  a  genuine  regret.  But  I  knew  her ;  and  all  the 


THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE  151 

time  she  was  speaking  with  this  cat-like  softness  I  was 
racking  my  brains  for  the  reason  of  her  action. 

"  If  you  don't  give  me  that  key,  I  shall  summon  help 
and  have  the  door  beaten  in,"  I  answered.  "  I  am  in 
no  mood  for  any  theatrical  display." 

"  I  will  make  a  bargain  with  you.  To  summon  your 
servants  and  have  to  admit  to  them  that  you  have  been 
locked  in  by  your  own  prisoner  will  make  you  very 
ridiculous.  The  strong,  clever  leader  of  this  great 
movement  caged  by  a  woman!  But  I  will  not  banter 
you,  and  will  not  make  you  even  ridiculous.  Listen  to 
my  reasons  and  you  shall  have  the  key.  Refuse  to  listen, 
and  do  what  you  please.  You  shall  not  have  it  from  me 
if  I  die  in  defending  it.  It  will  be  quicker  to  listen." 

"  State  them  quickly.  I  will  give  you  three  min- 
utes," I  said,  reflecting  that  what  she  said  was  true, 
and  as  blind  as  a  fool  of  a  bat  to  her  real  intent. 

"  I  will  put  them  very  shortly,"  she  answered,  speak- 
ing in  a  slow,  deliberate  tone,  altogether  foreign  to  her 
usual  habit.  "  You  love  the  Princess  and  she  loves 
you.  You  are  angry  with  me  because  I  have  discov- 
ered your  secret ;  but  do  you  suppose  that  the  Princess 
could  endure  that  Bulgaria  should  think  she  decoyed 
me  here  that  she  might  imprison  me  ?  That  is  what 
they  would  think  first.  But  when  the  truth  is  known, 
as  it  must  be  some  day,  will  her  woman's  heart  bear 
the  reproach  that  she  imprisoned  me  because  I  surprised 
her  and  your  secret  and  told  you  of  it  ?  Is  your  love 
so  guilty  a  thing  that  the  bare  mention  of  it  is  a  reason 
for  consigning  me  to  a  prison  unheard  and  untried?  Is 
that  how  a  pure  Princess  can  start  her  reign?  Is  the 
avowal  of  such  a  love  so  base  an  act  that  anyone  a  wit- 
ness of  it  must  be  hurried  to  a  gaol  to  silence  her? 
Think  you  these  are  means  by  which  she  will  conciliate 


152          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

her  new  people  ?  Or,  taking  another  reading,  can  you 
believe  that  the  Bulgarian  people  will  love  a  ruler 
whose  ruthless  instincts  of  tyranny  are  manifested  even 
before  she  touches  the  steps  of  the  throne,  by  dragging 
away  a  rival  for  a  man's  love  and  thrusting  her  into  an 
impromptu  gaol  because  the  regular  prisons  of  the 
country  are  not  available  ?  No,  I  tell  you  ;  you  dare 
not  do  this  thing,  and  your  Princess  dare  not  lend 
herself  to  it." 

I  listened  coldly,  but  not  without  concern,  for  I  saw 
the  strain  of  probability  that  underlay  her  malicious 
ingenuity. 

"You  are  not  imprisoned  for  any  such  act  as  you 
pretend,  but  because  you  would  betray  the  facts  your 
spies  have  discovered  ;  and,  if  you  want  an  additional 
reason,  because  you  have  dared  to  attempt " 

I  stopped,  and  dashed  my  hand  to  my  head  in  hor- 
ror. In  a  moment  I  saw  her  cursed  intention. 

I  had  said  no  word  to  the  Princess  about  the  deadly 
rose  which  this  woman  had  sent  to  her  in  my  name ; 
and  this  fiend,  guessing  by  her  woman's  instinct  that 
the  Princess  would  hurry  away  after  what  had  been 
said  about  our  love,  had  imprisoned  me  here  to  delay 
me,  so  that  even  now  at  the  last  moment  the  devilish 
scheme  might  succeed.  And  I,  like  the  fool  I  was, 
had  been  duped  by  her  infernal  cunning. 

I  felt  like  a  madman.  She  saw  by  my  agitation 
that  I  had  guessed  her  scheme,  and  before  I  could 
move  she  sprang  from  her  chair,  and  rushed  to  the 
door  to  put  her  back  to  it,  facing  me  like  a  wild  beast 
at  bay,  to  fight  for  the  last  few  moments  that  might 
be  so  vital  to  the  success  of  her  plot. 

"  You  look  agitated,  Count.  You  are  not  going  to 
leave  me  ? '' 


THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE  153 

"  Stand  aside,  you  fiend,  or  I  won't  answer  for  my- 
self. I  know  your  object  now.  Stand  aside  ;  do  you 
hear?  "  I  cried. 

"  I  will  not.  Touch  me  if  you  dare."  But  the  life 
of  the  Princess  was  at  stake,  and  I  thought  of  nothing 
else. 

"  Zoiloff  !  Zoiloff  !  "  I  shouted  at  the  top  of  my 
voice,  and,  seizing  the  Countess  by  the  arm,  I  strove 
with  all  'my  force  to  drag  her  from  the  door.  She 
fought  and  struggled  like  a  wild  cat,  and  her  strength 
was  sa  great  that  for  a  while  she  resisted  all  my  efforts, 
clinging  with  desperate  tenacity  to  the  handle  of  the 
door,  the  lever  of  which  gave  her  a  secure  hold. 

"Did  you  call,  Count?"  came  Zoiloff's  answer  in 
muffled  tones  through  the  heavy  door. 

"  Is  the  Princess  Christina  gone?" 

"  Yes,  some  minutes  since  ; "  and  at  the  words  a 
light  of  Satanic  triumph  shone  in  my  companion's  eyes, 
and  seemed  to  give  her  fresh  strength  for  the  struggle. 
Every  moment  was  precious. 

"  Get  help  and  burst  this  door  in,"  I  shouted  ;  but 
even  as  I  shouted  the  words  the  thought  of  the  min- 
utes that  would  be  thus  wasted  maddened  me,  and  I 
resolved  to  take  the  key  from  the  Countess's  pocket. 

"  You  force  me  to  this,"  I  said  between  my  teeth, 
and,  seizing  her  round  the  waist  with  one  arm,  I  held 
her  in  a  grip  of  iron  while  I  plunged  my  hand  into  her 
pocket.  To  use  up  the  last  possible  moment  she 
struggled  with  frantic  energy,  writhing  and  twisting 
and  hindering  me  till  I  vow  I  could  have  killed  her. 
My  blood  was  up,  and  the  thought  of  Christina's  dan- 
ger urged  me  to  spare  no  violence,  and  half  a  minute 
later  I  had  secured  the  key,  and  hurled  the  woman 
away  from  me. 


154          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

As  I  opened  the  door,  Zoiloff  and  a  couple  of  men 
with  axes  had  come  up. 

"  Good  God  !  what  has  happened  ?  "  cried  Zoiloff, 
falling  back  before  my  looks. 

"  Keep  that  hell-cat  safe  till  I  return,"  I  shouted, 
and,  hatless  and  dishevelled  as  I  was  after  the  tussle 
for  the  key,  I  dashed  out  of  the  house,  and  ran  at  my 
top  speed  through  the  street. 

By  good  fortune  I  met  one  of  my  grooms  exercising 
a  horse  close  by  the  house ;  and  before  the  man  could 
recover  from  his  -surprise  I  had  half  pulled  him  from 
the  saddle,  clambered  up  in  his  place,  and  was  clatter- 
ing at  full  gallop  towards  the  Princess's  house,  heedless 
of  all  or  any  that  came  in  my  path. 

The  moment  I  reached  it  I  jumped  off,  sprang  up 
the  steps,  pealed  the  great  bell  and  thundered  at  the 
heavy  knocker,  never  ceasing  till  the  porter  opened 
the  door  with  a  half-scared  face. 

"  The  Princess !  Quick,  man,  quick,  for  your  life  !  " 
I  cried  like  a  madman.  "  Where  is  she  ?  " 

"  In  her  boudoir,"  answered  the  fellow,  staring  at  me 
as  if  I  had  been  a  wild  man,  as  indeed  I  almost  was. 
I  ran  by  him  and  mounted  the  stairs  with  leaps  and 
bounds.  On  the  landing  above  stood  a  footman,  peer- 
ing down  curiously  at  the  disturbance. 

"  The  Princess's  room !  Show  me  instantly!"  and 
my  mien  and  voice  were  so  threatening  that  he  fell 
back  pale  and  frightened,  and  pointed  to  a  door. 

I  knocked,  but  did  not  wait  for  an  answer. 

"  Are  you  there,  Christina  ?  "  I  cried,  excitedly,  not 
heeding  that  I  used  her  Christian  name  only.  "  Chris- 
tina !  "  I  cried  again,  when  I  did  not  see  her. 

And  then,  to  my  inexpressible  relief,  she  came  out 
from  an  inner  room.  She  was  holding  a  small  package, 


THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE  155 

from  which  the  outer  wrapper  had  already  been  re« 
moved.  I  rushed  forward  and  tore  it  from  her  hand, 
saying  not  a  word,  and  heeding  nothing  of  the  look  of 
surprise  and  alarm  which  my  wild  presence  and  strange 
act  had  called  to  her  face. 

Then  with  a  fervent  "  Thank  God,"  as  I  held  the 
accursed  thing  safe  in  my  grip,  crushing  the  fragile  box 
in  my  straining  fingers,  I  fell  upon  a  chair,  and,  clasp- 
ing one  hand  to  my  eyes,  tried  to  fight  my  way  back 
to  calmness. 

The  rush  of  relief  was  an  intoxicating  delight,  and  in 
my  rapture  at  her  safety  I  could  have  shed  tears.  For 
the  moment  I  was  utterly  unmanned.  The  agony  of 
suspense  during  the  minutes  since  I  had  learnt  of  her 
danger  had  well  nigh  bereft  me  of  my  senses  ;  and  the 
relaxation  of  the  strain,  with  the  knowledge  of  her  bare 
escape  from  death,  made  me  as  weak  as  a  child. 

"  You  are  ill,  my  friend.  What  has  happened  ?  " 
she  asked  in  her  sweet,  sympathetic  voice,  laying  a 
hand  on  my  shoulder. 

The  touch  was  like  the  balm  of  Gilead  to  my  ruffled 
senses,  and  then  a  sudden  shame  fell  on  me,  and  in  a 
moment  I  realised  how  strange  my  wild  conduct  must 
have  appeared  in  her  eyes.  I  remembered,  too,  that  in 
my  delirium  I  had  called  to  her  by  her  Christian  name. 
And  at  the  thought  my  confused  and  dizzied  wits  were 
more  jumbled  than  before,  and,  strive  as  I  would,  I 
could  force  no  words  from  my  tongue. 

My  silence  alarmed  her. 

"  I  will  summon  help,"  she  said  ;  but  I  stayed  her 
with  a  protesting  hand,  and  thus  we  waited  while  I 
struggled  for  some  measure  of  composure. 

Many  moments  passed  in  this  strained,  embarrassing 
silence,  till  I  was  sufficiently  master  of  myself  to  make 


156          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

an  effort  to  speak  to  her.  I  rose,  still  holding  the 
crushed  little  package  as  fiercely  as  though  it  were  a 
thing  of  life.  She  looked  at  me  with  a  smile,  intend- 
ing it  to  veil  her  alarm  and  anxiety. 

"  Princess,  I  crave  your  pardon.  I — this  package — 

I "  I  stopped,  stuttering  at  a  sheer  loss  for  words. 

A  tinge  of  colour  mounted  to  her  face  as  she  said  in  a 
tone  much  less  warm  than  before,  and,  as  I  thought, 
not  without  a  note  of  rising  indignation. 

"  It  is  the  package  you  sent  me,  Count  Benderoff." 

"  No,  no,  it  was  sent  to  you  in  my  name — to  poison 
you."  She  started  back  and  stared  at  me.  '/  I  will 
try  to  explain.  I  have  acted  like  a  madman  ;  I  have 
been  almost  one,  I  think.  This  thing  " — holding  it  up 
still  gripped  fiercely — "  was  sent  you  to-day  by  that 
woman.  By  the  mercy  of  heaven  it  arrived  while 
you  were  absent,  and  your  visit  to  my  house  saved 
you "  And  in  a  shambling,  jumbled,  half-incohe- 
rent way  I  told  her  what  had  occurred. 

The  colour  in  her  cheeks  flowed  and  ebbed  as  I  spoke, 
and  I  saw  an  ever-varying  light  in  her  eyes  as  they 
were  bent  upon  me,  now  in  indignation,  again  in  horror, 
and  yet  again  in  gratitude  mingled  with  feelings  which 
now  I  almost  dared  to  read  as  my  heart  dictated. 

When  I  finished  my  disjointed  narrative,  she  thanked 
me  very  simply,  though  her  agitation,  heightened 
colour,  and  tender  glances  told  me  how  deeply  she  was 
moved.  Leaving  me  for  a  moment,  she  returned  with 
the  wrapper  of  the  package  and  a  card  of  mine,  on 
which  were  scribbled  my  initials  in  a  handwriting  much 
like  my  own. 

"  This  was  with  the  packet,"  she  said,  giving  me  the 
card.  "  But  I  have  never  seen  your  handwriting." 
I  saw  in  a  moment  that  the  spy  in  my  house 


THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE  157 

could  easily  have  stolen  the  card  for  the  Countess 
Bokara. 

"  Could  your  servant  identify  the  messenger  who 
brought  it  ?  " 

"  For  what  purpose,  when  we  know  who  sent  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  case  with  which  the  courts  could  deal." 

"  No,  no,  no,"  she  cried  hastily,  shaking  her  head. 
"  I  could  not  do  that." 

"  Well,  it  does  not  matter.  She  is  in  safe  keeping, 
and  I  can  mete  out  the  punishment  myself.  I  will 
keep  this  evidence  for  future  use  ;  "  and  crushing  packet 
and  card  and  wrapper  together,  I  pushed  them  into 
my  pocket. 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do,  then  ?  "  asked  the 
Princess. 

"  She  cannot  be  left  at  liberty  with  our  secret  in  her 
possession."  Till  I  had  uttered  the  words  I  did  not 
see  their  double  meaning.  But  the  Princess  did  in- 
stantly, mistaking  me  indeed,  and  her  face  grew  so 
crimson  that  she  turned  away  to  hide  her  confusion. 
"  I  mean  the  knowledge  of  our  plot,"  I  made  haste  to 
add,  awkwardly,  the  explanation  serving  only  to  ac- 
centuate my  clumsy  blunder,  and  add  to  our  mutual 
embarrassment  in  the  pause  that  followed. 

I  was  mad  with  myself  for  the  slip,  and  yet  delighted 
at  what  it  helped  to  reveal  to  me.  With  an  effort  I 
shook  myself  together,  and  said  in  a  tone  almost  cold 
and  formal : 

"  The  sure  and  certain  use  she  would  make  of  her 
freedom  would  be  to  tell  General  Kolfort  that  we  are 
duping  him." 

"  That  is  a  risk  we  must  run,"  she  replied,  her  voice 
low  and  trembling. 

"  It  is  one  we  dare  not  run.     It  would  be  worse  than 


158          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

madness,"  I  protested  hastily.     The  thing  was  impos- 
sible, unless  we  meant  to  ruin  everything. 

"  It  would  have  to  be  done  in  my  name.  And  that 
cannot  be.  You  must  see  this."  The  agitation  in  her 
voice  was  evident,  and  she  kept  her  face  averted 
from  me. 

"Your  Highness  cannot  mean  this."  The  earnest- 
ness of  my  tone  moved  her,  and  she  cast  at  me  a  quick 
glance  of  appeal. 

"  Cannot  you  see  that  it  is  impossible  ?  "  But  I  felt 
I  must  be  deaf  to  any  appeal. 

"  You  have  trusted  me  so  completely  that  I  should 
be  untrue  to  you  and  to  all  concerned  in  this  matter, 
Princess,  if  I  listened  to  you.  Believe  me,  it  must  not 
be.  Her  captivity  is  our  only  road  to  safety.  We 
have  dealt  with  this  spy  of  hers,  and  she  herself  told 
me  that  he  was  flying  the  country  in  a  panic.  She 
alone  holds  this  terrible — this  knowledge  of  our  plans, 
and  if  she  remains  at  large,  nothing  can  save  our 
scheme  from  shipwreck.  You  know,  even  better  than 
I,  what  effect  a  word  breathed  in  the  General's  ear 
would  have.  Believe  me,  I  dare  not  let  her  free.  No 
harm  shall  come  to  her.  Not  a  hair  of  her  head  shall 
be  injured ;  but  in  our  charge  she  is  and  must  remain. 
There  is  no  possible  alternative." 

She  locked  her  fingers  tightly  in  the  stress  of  her 
perplexity,  and  a  strained,  drawn  expression  showed 
on  her  face. 

"  No,  no  ;  it  is  impossible,  impossible,"  she  cried,  in 
a  tone  of  distress.  "  I  see  the  dangers,  but  this  I — I 
cannot  and  will  not  do." 

The  mocking  words  which  the  Countess  had  spoken 
when  I  was  locked  in  the  room  with  her  gave  me  the 
clue  to  the  struggle  in  the  Princess's  mind,  and  I  dared 


THE  COUNTESS'S  RUSE  159 

not  ask  her  to  tell  me  her  reasons,  that  I  might  combat 
them.  But  with  me  they  had  no  weight. 

"  This  is  no  matter,  Princess,"  I  ventured  to  say, 
"  in  which  any  considerations  but  the  most  impersonal 
reasons  of  policy  can  be  allowed  to  prevail.  I  beg  you 
earnestly  to  pause  before  taking  a  step  that  on  my 
soul  I  know  must  be  fatal  to  everything."  The  words 
brought  a  look  of  flashing  reproach. 

"  You  tell  me  this.  Can't  you  see  what  would  be 
said  of  me  if  I  sanctioned  such  a  thing?  No,  no,  no ; 
I  cannot,  I  cannot,  I  will  not,"  she  cried  impetuously. 

My  eyes  fell  before  hers,  but  yield  I  would  not. 

"  Will  you  permit  me  to  withdraw  now,  and  we  can 
speak  of  this  matter  another  time  ?  Meanwhile " 

"  Meanwhile  you  will  do  that  which  will  compro- 
mise me  in  the  eyes  of  all  Bulgaria,"  she  cried 
vehemently. 

"  I  shall  do  no  more  than  your  safety  and  that  of  all 
others  concerned  with  us  in  this  matter  demands,"  I 
answered  stubbornly.  "  We  have  no  other  object  but 
your  safety  and  success." 

"  Do  you  think  I  will  set  my  liberty  on  such  an  issue 
— that  I  will  consent  to  be  held  up  to  the  whole  country, 

ay,  to  all  Europe,  as "  She  stopped,  and  a  vivid 

blush  spread  over  her  face,  but,  drawing  herself  up 
with  head  erect,  she  added  with  a  truly  royal  air: 
"  Count  BenderofT,  as  the  Princess  Christina  and  your 
future  Queen,  I  lay  my  commands  upon  you  to  set  the 
Countess  Bokara  at  liberty  without  delay." 

"Your  Highness  has  no  truer  follower  than  I,  and 
my  future  Queen  will  have  no  more  loyal  and  faithful 
subject,  but  this  command  I  cannot  and  will  not  obey." 

I  bowed  low,  and,  raising  my  head,  met  her  look 
with  one  as  firm  and  resolute  as  her  own. 


160          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

We  stood  thus  for  perhaps  half  a  minute,  and  then 
a  striking  change  came  over  her  face.  Her  eyes  fell, 
and  I  thought  I  had  won.  But  it  was  no  more  than  a 
change  of  weapons  on  her  part. 

She  came  close  to  me  and  took  my  hand  in  both 
hers,  and  looked  then  into  my  eyes  with  a  soft  light 
that  only  love  could  kindle. 

"  What  you  refuse  as  a  command,  grant  me  as  a 
favour.  I  plead  to  you  as  a  woman  to  do  what  I  ask. 
I  pray  you  by  whatever  regard  you  may  have  for  me. 
Must  I  plead  in  vain  ?  "  Her  hands  were  trembling  in 
mine  and  her  voice  quivering  as  she  sought  my  eyes 
and  held  them  with  a  look  of  yearning  love  that  left 
me  no  room  for  any  thought  but  how  to  please  her. 

What  could  I  do,  loving  her  as  I  did  with  all  my 
heart,  but  yield  ? 


CHAPTER  XV 

A   HOPELESS   OUTLOOK 

EVEN  while  I  was  on  my  way  from  the  Princess 
Christina's  house  I  began  to  realise  the  consequences 
of  the  mistake  we  were  making.  I  had  been  miserably 
weak  to  give  way,  and,  although  my  head  was  half 
giddy  with  the  rapturous  remembrance  of  her  words 
and  glances,  and  dazed  with  the  thought  that  she  had 
appealed  to  my  love,  I  was  angry  with  myself  for  hav- 
ing yielded. 

I  half  dreaded  to  meet  Zoiloff.  I  knew  what  that 
sturdy  fellow  would  say,  and  was  inclined  to  fear  lest 
he  should  make  a  shrewd  guess  at  the  reasons  which 
had  influenced  me.  One  thing  was  certain,  he  must 
not  be  present  when  I  saw  the  Countess  ;  for  I  knew 
that  she  would  blurt  out  the  truth  in  her  sneering, 
vindictive  tone. 

She  would  publish  it,  too,  far  and  wide,  and  in  a  few 
days  all  Sofia  would  ring  with  the  secret  of  my  love 
for  Christina  and  of  hers  for  me.  That  alone  was 
enough  to  ruin  the  cause,  since  it  must  inevitably 
rouse  old  Kolfort's  suspicions. 

When  I  reached  the  house  I  was  told  that  Zoiloff 
was  with  the  Countess  Bokara,  and  I  sent  for  him.  I 
said  in  as  few  words  as  possible  that  it  had  been  de- 
cided to  let  the  woman  go  free,  and  I  gave  some  more 
or  less  fictitious  reasons  of  policy  for  it.  But  they  did 

not  impose  on  him  for  an  instant. 

ii  161 


162          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"It  is  wrong,  Count,  absolutely  wrong,  and  you 
should  never  have  consented.  She  will  ruin  every- 
thing. I  propose  that  we  just  ignore  the  Princess's 
wish  and  keep  that  fiend  close  all  the  same." 

"  I  have  passed  my  word,  Zoiloff." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  it,  but  I  haven't ;  and 
there's  nothing  to  prevent  your  setting  her  free  and 
my  taking  her  again.  Everything  is  ready,  as  you 
know,  and  the  thing  would  be  easy  enough." 

"  No,  I  can  be  no  party  to  it,"  I  answered  firmly, 
although  the  notion  pleased  and  tempted  me. 

"  Then  you  may  as  well  throw  up  the  sponge."  He 
spoke  angrily. 

"It  may  still  be  possible  to  blind  the  General's 
eyes." 

"  You  are  more  sanguine  than  you  look  or  your  tone 
implies  if  you  think  so.  I  don't  believe  it  for  a 
moment.  There's  always  something  goes  wrong  where 
a  woman  is  concerned." 

"  I  will  send  this  one  packing,  and  then  we  can 
consult." 

"There's  not  much  left  worth  consulting  about,"  he 
answered  as  I  left  him. 

The  Countess  greeted  me  with  a  sharp,  shrewd  look, 
and  then  her  face  showed  a  keen  disappointment. 

"  I  have  failed,  I  see.  You  needn't  tell  me,"  she 
said. 

"  You  are  not  yet  a  murderess — at  least  of  the  Prin- 
cess," I  returned,  harshly,  for  I  hated  the  woman. 

"  You  have  taken  a  long  time  over  your  rescue  and 
love  business ;  but  I  suppose  you  had  much  to  talk 
about.  It's  the  way  of  lovers  !  "  she  cried  with  a 
laugh.  "  Besides  you  had  to  settle  what  to  do  with  in- 
convenient me.  I  am  afraid  I  am  very  much  in  your 


A  HOPELESS  OUTLOOK  163 

way,  Count — quite  as  much  trouble  to  you  as  if  you 
had  remained  faithful  to  me." 

"  If  I  had  my  way  you  would  not  give  me  much 
more  trouble." 

"  Ah,  then  I  was  right.  I  knew  that  she  would  never 
dare  to  try  and  keep  me  a  prisoner.  Will  you  see  that 
a  carriage  is  ready  for  me  ?  "  She  spoke  in  a  tone  of 
indifference. 

"  If  you  have  any  gratitude  in  your  nature  you  will 
remember  that  it  is  to  the  Princess  that  you  owe  your 
liberty — to  the  woman  whose  life  you  have  just  failed 
to  take." 

"And  am  bitterly  regretting  my  failure.  That  is  my 
gratitude.  But  why  cant  to  me  of  gratitude.  Do  you 
suppose  she  has  done  this  for  my  sake  ?  Nonsense  ;  I 
told  you  her  reasons  before  you  went  to  her.  Am  I  a 
fool,  that  you  prate  to  me  in  this  childish  strain  ?  I 
tell  you  I  am  an  enemy,  and  a  woman  to  be  feared. 
She  is  a  fool  to  let  me  go,  and  I  know  it  as  well  as  you. 
Were  the  positions  reversed — but  there,  she  has  given 
you  a  heavy  task,  Count,  heavy  enough  to  tax  even 
your  cleverness ;  and  you  can  lay  your  plans  on  this 
one  solid  and  sure  foundation — that  I  will  do  my  worst 
against  you  and  her." 

I  made  no  answer,  and,  ringing  a  bell,  ordered  a  car- 
riage  to  be  brought  round  at  once. 

"You  look  very  solemn,  Count,"  she  said,  when  the 
servant  had  left  the  room  and  I  was  going.  "  And  you 
have  plenty  of  reason.  But  I'll  do  you  one  favour,  and 
tell  you  that  I  have  already  begun  my  work,  and  have 
told  that  ill-bred  soldier  who  was  here  and  seems  to  be 
in  your  confidence  the  whole  story  of  your  love  for 
the  fair  Christina  ;  and  it  had  a  very  pretty  effect  upon 
him.  But  it  prepared  him,  no  doubt,  for  this  step," 


164          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

and  she  laughed  insolently.  "  At  any  rate  you  can  be 
frank  with  him  without  that  shamefacedness  with 
which  one  man  speaks  to  another  of  his  love.  What 
he  is  thinking  about  it  to-day — and  I  was  careful  to 
sow  the  seeds  of  fruitful  contemplation  in  his  mind — 
all  Sofia  will  be  openly  talking  to-morrow,  including 
your  new  Russian  friends.  It  was  injudicious  of  you, 
wasn't  it,  to  leave  me  such  a  companion  ?  " 

I  could  endure  no  more  of  her  taunts,  and  went  out 
of  the  room,  closing  the  door  quickly  to  shut  out  the 
sound  of  her  mocking  laughter.  When  the  carriage 
was  announced  I  went  back  to  fetch  her,  and,  as  if  her 
malicious  instinct  could  always  hit  upon  the  mood 
most  exactly  calculated  to  jar  upon  my  nerves,  she 
was  now  disposed  to  play  the  high  society  dame,  and, 
with  all  the  airs  and  graces  of  a  capricious  beauty,  was 
for  delaying  me  to  chatter  idle  nothings,  in  a  tone  of 
empty  frivol,  about  the  weather,  the  recent  ball,  and 
my  health,  until  I  cut  her  short  by  saying  sternly : 

"  The  carriage  is  waiting  for  you,  Countess,  and  I 
have  no  time  for  this  wearying  badinage." 

"  I  thought  you  might  wish  your  servants  to  think 
this  was  merely  a  call  of  ceremony  ;  "  and,  as  if  to 
irritate  me  with  these  little  peltings  of  frivolity,  she 
continued  to  chatter  in  the  same  tone  until  she  had 
taken  her  seat  in  the  carriage.  Then,  with  a  quick 
change  of  manner,  and  a  malignant  glance  at  me,  she 
said : 

"  When  we  meet  again  you  may  find  the  positions 
reversed,  Count,  for  I  warn  you  to  look  to  yourself." 

I  gave  no  sign  of  even  having  heard  her,  and  watched 
in  silence  as  the  carriage  drove  off. 

"  There  goes  our  last  hope,"  said  Zoiloff,  looking 
moodily  after  the  carriage,  as  though  he  would  have 


A  HOPELESS  OUTLOOK  165 

given  all  he  was  worth  to  have  dashed  after  it,  and 
have  torn  the  Countess  out  of  it  back  to  captivity. 

"  Now  let  us  consider  what  to  do  next,"  I  replied. 

"  There  is  nothing  to  do  next,  or  after,"  he  said,  in 
the  same  moody  tone.  "  When  such  a  woman  holds 
the  future  of  our  scheme  in  her  hands  we  can  do 
nothing  but  prepare  for  the  worst,  and  look  out  for  the 
best  means  of  escape.  It  will  soon  be  a  case  of  sauve 
qni  pent" 

"  I  shall  fight  on  till  it  comes,  then,  and  so  will  you, 
my  friend,  when  this  mood  has  passed."  I  took  him 
into  my  private  room  and,  putting  wine  and  cigars 
before  him,  set  to  work  to  try  and  shape  a  course  to 
suit  the  altered  aspect  of  affairs. 

My  own  opinion  was  not  much  brighter  than  his  ; 
but  I  sought  to  persuade  him,  and  myself  too,  that 
matters  might  yet  be  mended.  There  was  one  possible 
door  of  hope.  The  Countess  meant  to  have  her  re- 
venge, and,  as  she  hac  frankly  said,  we  must  base  all 
our  plans  on  her  implacable  enmity.  But  she  had  other 
ends  than  those  of  mere  personal  vengeance.  She 
hated  Christina  bitterly,  but  she  loved  the  Russians 
no  better.  Her  aim  was  to  keep  her  Prince  on  the 
throne,  and  to  betray  us  at  once  would  certainly  in- 
jure him  by  forcing  General  Kolfort  to  act  imme- 
diately, not  only  against  us,  but  against  the  Prince. 
The  latter  would  be  frightened  and  jockeyed  out  of  the 
throne,  to  make  room,  not  for  Christina,  but  for  some 
more  pliable  tool ;  and  the  Countess  was  quite  shrewd 
enough  to  foresee  that. 

"  I  am  inclined  to  believe,"  I  said,  after  we  had  dis- 
cussed the  position  at  great  length,  "  that  she  will 
seek  her  ends  first  by  other  means  than  by  betraying 
us  to  Kolfort — some  scheme  or  other  against  the  Prin- 


1 66          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

cess  or  myself  personally,  perhaps ;  but  something 
which  may  take  time  to  work  out.  She  will  cling  to 
the  hope  of  retaining  the  Prince  on  the  throne  to  the 
last  possible  moment  ;  and  she  may  reckon,  as  she  has 
done  hitherto,  that  by  removing  the  Princess  the  Rus- 
sian scheme  will  be  so  maimed  that  the  Prince  may 
be  able  to  retrieve  and  retain  his  position — at  all  events 
for  a  time.  She  may  now  include  me  in  some  such 
plan  of  assassination.  The  question  for  us  to  consider 
is,  then,  how  soon  we  can  complete  our  arrangements, 
by  hurrying  them  forward  at  fever  heat,  so  as  to  make 
us  indifferent  to  what  Kolfort  can  do." 

I  continued  to  urge  this  from  every  standpoint,  until 
I  saw  with  great  satisfaction  that  ZoilofFs  enthusiasm 
began  to  heat  again.  But  suddenly  his  face  clouded, 
and  he  said  : 

"  Are  you  forgetting  the  strange  story  she  is  going 
to  tell  about  yourself  and  the  Princess  ?  I  know 
nothing  of  it,  of  course,"  he  added,  as  though  in  assur- 
ance of  his  faith  in  me.  "  But  if  such  a  tale  should 
reach  old  Kolfort — and  she  seemed  mad  enough  to 
scream  it  from  the  housetops — you  can  judge  what  he 
may  think." 

"  There  is  a  ready  answer  to  it,"  I  returned,  gloomy 
now  in  my  turn  at  the  thought  behind  my  words. 

"  You  mean  denial.  I  don't  like  to  speak  of  this, 
Count." 

"  I  do  not  mean  denial  only  in  words.  They  count 
for  little  enough  in  a  time  like  this,"  I  replied  bitterly. 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"  The  Princess's  only  answer  will  be  the  hurrying 
forward  of  her  marriage  with  the  Duke  Sergius.  It  is 
the  inevitable  corollary  of  her  decision  to-day." 

"  By  God,  but  you  are  a  man,  Count !  "  cried  Zoiloff, 


A  HOPELESS  OUTLOOK  167 

with  a  look  of  genuine  sympathy,  as  if  he  felt  instinct- 
ively what  such  words  must  cost  me.  "  From  this 
hour  I  will  never  again  question  a  single  order  you 
give  or  decision  you  take."  He  held  out  his  hand,  and 
grasped  mine  in  a  warm  pledge  of  earnest  friendship. 
"  We  will  go  on,  as  you  say,  and  frustrate  this  she- 
devil  yet — or  fall  in  the  effort." 

A  long  silence  followed,  in  which  we  were  both  busy 
with  our  own  thoughts ;  and  when  the  silence  was 
broken  we  went  on  with  a  long,  detailed  discussion  of 
the  means  to  be  adopted  to  quicken  our  preparations 
and  expedite  the  arrangements  that  should  make  us 
indifferent  to  any  action  by  General  Kolfort. 

The  work  interested  us  both  absorbingly,  and  while 
Zoiloff  remained  with  me,  and  my  thoughts  were  occu- 
pied in  planning  the  work  to  be  done,  I  was  even 
inclined  to  accept  my  own  arguments  that  all  was  not 
yet  lost. 

But  when  he  had  left  me  a  relapse  came,  and  I  seemed 
to  be  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  the  weariness  and 
futility  of  it  all.  I  had  nothing  now  to  gain.  A  few 
hours  had  changed  everything  for  me,  and  all  my  en- 
thusiasm had  evaporated,  like  the  sparkle  from  flat  wine. 

Bulgaria  might  profit,  but  what  was  Bulgaria  to  me? 
I  had  not  been  fighting  for  Bulgaria,  but  for  Christina  ; 
and  what  prospect  was  there  now  for  her  but  the 
gloomiest  ?  I  had  gained  the  priceless  treasure  of  her 
love ;  but  with  the  very  ecstasy  of  the  knowledge  had 
come  the  bane  that  I  could  never  even  win  happiness 
for  her. 

I  laid  bare  my  heart  to  myself  in  this  bitter  self- 
communing.  I  had  tried  to  persuade  myself  before 
that  mine  was  that  rare  thing — the  rarest  on  earth, 
indeed — selfless  love ;  but  I  knew  now  that  that  had 


1 68          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

been  the  flimsiest  gauze  of  self-deceit  veiling  the  secret 
hopes  and  desires  that  had  urged  me  forward.  Out  of 
the  inmost  thoughts  came  up  now  the  skeletons  of  my 
Tost  desires,  gibbering  and  mouthing  and  mocking  me 
with  the  hopelessness  of  my  love. 

If  I  could  have  made  her  happy,  have  helped  her  to 
realise  the  dream  of  her  life  as  the  Virgin  Queen  pour- 
ing on  this  distracted  people  the  infinite  blessings  of 
freedom  and  happiness,  herself  a  bright,  conspicuous 
example  of  innocence  and  purity  to  all  the  world,  I 
might  have  been  content  to  worship  even  while  I  served 
her.  But  to  think  of  her  as  the  wife  of  the  sensual 
brute  I  detested,  forced  to  submit  to  his  loathsome 
endearments,  and  to  smile  and  frown  upon  him  in  his 
humours,  was  like  a  very  torment  of  hell  to  me.  And 
for  her  it  must  be  ten  thousand  times  worse.  Her  life, 
mated  with  a  man  she  abhorred,  would  be  one  long, 
living  lie,  the  canker  of  which  must  blight  her  every 
purpose,  and  destroy  every  hope  in  her  heart. 

And  yet  I,  loving  her  and  beloved  by  her,  was  to  help 
her  to  this  life  of  fair-seeming  misery  and  honoured 
dishonour.  1  could  not  and  would  not,  I  cried  in  my 
heart — and  yet  I  knew  I  must.  There  was  no  escape 
now  from  it.  As  I  had  told  Zoiloff  in  my  despair,  the 
hastening  of  the  marriage  was  the  one  possible  means 
of  averting  that  instant  ruin  in  which  the  power  of  the 
at  present  all-powerful  Russian  agents  could  involve 
us  all. 

Harder  than  all  else  to  bear,  however,  was  the 
thought  that  I  myself  must  pass  that  inexorable  sen- 
tence upon  her.  She  had  made  it  essential  by  her 
shrinking  woman's  fear  of  how  her  act  would  be  read 
in  the  eyes  of  Europe  ;  but  it  was  left  for  me  to  show 
her  the  full  consequences  of  what  she  had  done. 


A  HOPELESS  OUTLOOK  169 

In  my  frenzy  I  was  tempted  to  regret  that  I  had 
saved  her  from  the  infinitely  more  merciful  fate  of 
death.  Deeply  as  I  loved  her,  I  would  vastly  rather 
see  her  dead  than  the  wife  of  the  man  whose  wife  she 
was  now  inevitably  bound  to  be. 

For  a  moment  a  wild  thought  rushed  through  my 
mind — that  I  should  induce  her  to  fly  the  country  with 
me.  But  the  thought  was  as  great  a  treachery  to  her 
as  the  act  would  be  treacherous  to  those  whose  cause 
she  championed  with  such  pure-souled  enthusiasm.  I 
recalled  with  the  iciness  of  a  lover's  despair  her  decla- 
ration that  she  would  even  become  the  wife  of  this 
man,  if  no  other  path  were  open,  rather  than  abandon 
the  cause  she  had  espoused. 

There  was  no  escape  ;  and  when  at  length  I  threw 
myself  on  my  bed,  brain -wearied  with  the  long  wild 
fighting  against  the  inevitable,  it  was  only  that  the 
torture  of  my  waking  thoughts  should  be  reproduced 
with  all  the  grotesque  horrors  of  oppressive,  sickening 
dreams. 

I  awoke  with  the  dawn,  dreading  the  coming  of  the 
hour  that  would  bring  with  it  the  ordeal  of  the  inter- 
view. 

For  myself  my  course  was  soon  decided.  I  would 
keep  my  word,  and  go  through  with  the  task  of  leading 
the  movement  to  such  a  successful  issue  as  we  could 
yet  snatch  from  the  dangers  surrounding  and  threaten- 
ing it.  But  the  hour  that  saw  her  safely  seated  on  the 
throne  should  be  my  last  in  the  country. 

I  was  revolving  these  gloomy  thoughts  over  an  un- 
tasted  breakfast  when  Spernow  came. 

"  You  look  ill,  Count ;  "  for  the  struggle  had  written 
its  effects  in  my  face.  "  Yesterday's  doings  have  upset 
you," 


I/O          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  It  is  nothing  worse  than  a  headache,"  I  answered 
carelessly. 

"  I  hope  your  nerves  are  not  unstrung.  You  will  need 
a  clear  head  to-day  unless  I  have  read  things  wrongly." 

"What  next?"  I  felt  that  nothing  which  could 
happen  now  would  either  interest  or  trouble  me.  I 
had  lost  the  one  thing  which  I  desired,  and  life  itself 
might  go  for  aught  I  cared. 

"  I  was  at  a  house  last  night  and  heard  something 
which  you  must  know  at  once.  It  concerns  you  close- 
ly, and  spells  danger." 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  Feel  interested  I  could  not,  feign 
it  I  would  not. 

"  The  Duke  Sergius  has  resolved  to  force  a  quarrel 
upon  you.  He  has  some  deadly  grievance.  I  heard  it 
incidentally,but Why,  Count,  what  is  the  matter?" 

He  might  well  be  astonished.  The  news  was  the 
one  thing  on  earth  that  could  have  changed  me,  the 
one  thing  that  might  yet  change  everything.  In  an 
instant  my  lassitude  and  despair  fell  away  like  a  cloak. 
My  blood  warmed,  my  heart  beat  fast,  my  cheeks 
glowed  again,  and -life  was  worth, living  and  risking. 
Even  if  I  were  destined  to  go  straight  to  my  death  at 
the  hands  of  the  rival  I  hated,  I  should  have  a  moment 
of  real  enjoyable  life,  while,  if  my  hand  were  true  and 

my  skill  what  I  believed  it  and  I  killed  him I 

could  not  stay  to  think,  but  in  my  eager  hope  that  the 
news  might  be  true  I  plied  Spernow  with  question 
after  question,  testing  his  story,  till  he  might  well  have 
deemed  me  insane. 

"  Of  all  the  gifts  and  riches  of  the  earth  that  yeu 
could  bring  me,  Spernow,"  I  cried  in  my  vehemence, 
"  there  is  none  I  would  have  in  preference  to  this  news, 
By  Heaven,  man,  but  you  have  made  me  live  again ! H 


CHAPTER  XVI 

"  IF   I   WERE  A   WOMAN  " 

WE  had  been  together  about  half  an  hour,  discussing 
eagerly  the  news  which  Spernow  had  brought,  when 
Zoiloff  arrived.  His  face  showed  that  he  too  had 
passed  anxious  hours  since  we  parted.  I  received  him 
with  a  laugh  and  rallied  him  upon  his  looks,  and  then 
told  him  the  news. 

He  had  not  the  same  intense  personal  interest  in  it 
that  I  had,  and  he  received  it  very  differently ;  though 
his  friendship  made  him  understand  my  feelings. 

"  It  is  her  first  step,"  he  said,  gravely.  "  We  must 
act  warily." 

"A  necessity  for  others  besides  ourselves,"  I 
retorted. 

"  It  is  not  certain  what  form  his  hostility  will  take. 
He  may  not  care  to  quarrel  openly  with  you,  Count ; 
although,  if  he  does,  you  know  he  is  not  a  swordsman 
to  be  taken  lightly." 

"  He  would  serve  me  no  ill  turn  were  he  to  send  his 
sword  through  my  heart,"  I  answered,  and  meant  every 
word  I  said. 

"  That  would  be  an  ill  enough  turn  for  us,  though." 

"  Let  us  go  to  the  gallery  and  see.  I  have  scarcely 
closed  my  eyes  all  night,  and  when  Spernow  came  he 
found  me  hipped  and  down.  It  will  be  a  good  test 

for  my  nerves.     If  I  can  hold  my  own  against   you 

171 


172          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

under  such  conditions,  we  need  not  be  doubtful  about 
this  other  affair." 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  busy  with  the  foils,  and  I 
told  Zoiloff  to  try  with  all  the  skill  at  his  command  to 
beat  me.  For  myself,  I  tried  to  make  myself  believe 
for  the  moment  that  he  was  the  man  whom  I  might 
have  to  meet,  and  I  put  forth  every  effort.  I  never 
fenced  more  skilfully  or  with  more  spirit,  now  limiting 
myself  only  to  defensive  measures  and  now  forcing  the 
attack  with  vehement  and  even  fiery  impetuosity. 

"  I  cannot  hold  you,  Count,"  said  Zoiloff,  at  length  ; 
"  I  have  not  touched  you  once,  except  that  graze  on 
the  leg,  and  you  have  had  me  three  times  badly.  If 
this  were  in  earnest  I  should  be  a  dead  man.  But,  re- 
member, you  know  my  work  now,  and  that  I  am  not 
the  Duke's  equal  with  the  sword." 

"  I  must  take  that  risk,  and  shall  not  take  it  without 
pleasure,  I  assure  you." 

"  But  that's  not  the  only  risk  to  be  taken." 

"  You  are  in  a  despondent  mood,  my  friend,"  I  said, 
for  I  knew  he  referred  to  what  General  Kolfort  might 
do  afterwards.  "  Let's  meet  them  one  at  a  time.  This 
one  faced  and  overcome  may  mean  much  to  us ;  and, 
at  any  rate,  will  put  us  in  good  heart  for  what  may 
follow."  My  spirits  were  now  as  high  as  previously 
they  had  been  depressed,  and  once  again  I  was  full  of 
fight. 

Zoiloff  told  me  what  he  had  already  done  to  expe- 
dite our  plans,  and  when  I  went  to  do  my  regimental 
work  even  the  knowledge  of  what  I  had  to  tell  Chris- 
tina she  must  be  prepared  to  do  had  become  less 
oppressive  and  disheartening. 

On  my  return  home,  however,  I  found  a  note  from 
Mademoiselle  Broumoff,  asking  me  to  see  Christina  at 


"  IF  I  WERE  A  WOMAN  "  173 

once.  "  General  Kolfort  has  been  with  her  this  morn- 
ing, and  something  passed  which  has  upset  the  Princess 
extremely.  Although  she  has  not  told  me  that  she 
wishes  to  see  you,  I  am  sure  of  it.  Don't  mention 
this  letter." 

This  alarmed  me,  and  early  in  the  afternoon  I  was 
at  her  house.  I  found  her  looking  troubled  and  agi- 
tated, and  so  pale  that  I  was  filled  with  concern.  She 
received  me  as  graciously  as  usual,  but  I  could  detect 
a  touch  of  shrinking  reserve. 

"  I  hope  you  have  no  ill  news ;  we  cannot,  of  course, 
expect  a  big  scheme  like  ours  to  go  forward  without 
an  occasional  check,"  I  said. 

"  There  must  be  no  check — none  if  I  can  prevent  it, 
that  is."  She  spoke  very  sadly,  and  then  forced  a 
smile  to  her  face. 

"You  have  had  some  news,  I  see,"  I  said  after  a 
pause. 

"  Yes,  I  have  bad  news ;  I  have  had  General  Kolfort 
here." 

"  His  visit  was  probably  the  outcome  of  yesterday's 
event." 

"  Have  you  come  to  upbraid  me  with  what  you  think 
my  weakness?"  she  cried  quickly,  with  a  swift  glance 
of  reproach. 

"  No,  indeed  not.  But  when  the  Countess  Bokara 
left  me  she  declared  with  all  the  malice  in  her  that  she 
would  do  her  utmost  to  ruin  us  all.  I  judge  that  she 
has  commenced — that  is  all." 

"  She  cannot  ruin  us.  Let  her  do  her  worst."  It 
was  easy  to  see,  however,  that  the  first  blow  had  been 
a  telling  one.  Then  a  thought  struck  me. 

"  I  think  I  can  tell  you  the  purport  of  General  Kol- 
fort's  message,"  I  said  quietly.  "  He  is  anxious  to 


174          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

push  forward  a  certain  step  in  his  plans  to  bind  you 
to  him.  I  mean,  of  course,  your  marriage." 

Her  face  grew  scarlet,  and  I  guessed  it  was  at  the 
remembrance  of  the  bluntness  with  which  the  General 
would  have  told  her  what  he  had  heard  about  us.  I 
could  judge  well  enough  the  way  he  would  speak. 

"  Have  you  seen  him  ?  "  she  asked  after  a  pause. 

"  No  ;  but  I  foresaw  what  must  happen,"  I  answered 
gently.  "  It  was  inevitable.  The  only  practical  proof 
you  could  give  him  of  the  falseness  of  the  rumour 
that  that  woman  has  set  abroad." 

She  locked  her  fingers  tightly  together,  and  her  face 
was  drawn  and  troubled.  My  heart  ached  for  her. 
Remembering  my  own  sorrow,  I  could  gauge  the  bit- 
terness of  hers.  Presently,  in  a  low  tone  of  despair, 
she  said  : 

"  The  marriage  is  to  take  place  in  three  days  ; " 
and,  hiding  her  face  then  in  her  hands,  she  abandoned 
herself  to  emotions  which  she  could  no  longer  control. 
I  turned  to  the  window  and  looked  out,  that  she  might 
have  time  to  regain  some  measure  of  calmness. 

Presently  I  heard  the  rustle  of  her  dress,  and  I 
turned  round  and  went  back  to  her. 

"  You  have  caught  me  in  a  moment  of  weakness, 
Count,"  she  said,  smiling  through  the  cloud  on  her 
brow  and  in  her  eyes.  "  I  think  you  had  better  leave 
me." 

"  I  came  prepared  for  the  news.  Indeed,  I  came  to 
tell  you  myself  that  you  must  be  ready  to  hear  it." 

"  I  would  rather  have  heard  it  from  you  ;  "  and  she 
smiled  wearily.  Then,  laying  her  hands  impulsively 
in  mine,  she  said  sweetly  but  mournfully :  "  It  is  hard 
to  inflict  sorrow  like  this,  and  I  do  not  hide  from  my- 
self, dear  friend,  that  this  must  give  you  pain.  Believe 


"IF  I  WERE  A  WOMAN"  175 

me,  that  thought  is  not  my  least  grief  in  this.  If  I 
were  only  a  woman,"  she  cried,  with  a  deep  sigh. 

Her  words  and  tenderness  almost  unmanned  me.  I 
had  no  words  to  reply,  but  stood  still,  holding  her 
hands  in  mine  and  meeting  her  gaze  with  glances  that 
spoke  the  love  I  felt. 

"  I  have  no  thought  but  for  your  happiness,"  I  mur- 
mured at  length. 

"  Happiness  ?  "'she  whispered  ;  and  her  eyes  closed 
an  instant  as  she  drew  a  deep  breath  as  of  unbearable 
pain.  Then  she  mastered  her  emotion.  "  I  must 
never  see  you  alone  again,  Count.  I  ought  not  to  have 
seen  you  now,  but — I  am  a  woman.  I  felt  I  must 
thank  you  once  alone,  and  tell  you  how  it  wounds  me 
to  wound  you  thus.  Others  may  think  of  me  as  am- 
bitious, cold,  unwomanly,  selling  myself  for  a  throne, 
a  heartless  creature  without  the  attributes  and  qualities 
of  my  sex.  But  you  will  know  the  truth.  You  must 
know  it,  even  if  I  bare  my  inmost  heart  in  telling  you. 
You  will  not  think  ill  of  me,  though  I  have  made  you 
so  poor  a  requital  for  all  that  you  have  done  and  would 
do  for  me.  Do  you  think  I  am  seeking  my  happiness 
in  this?" 

"  Forgive  me  that  word.  If  I  know  what  you  are 
suffering  in  this  it  is  because  my  own  heart  tells  me ; 
and  I  dare  not  utter  all  that  it  tells  me." 

"You  are  a  strong  man  and  will  fight  it  down." 

"  I  shall  never  forget,"  I  cried  earnestly,  my  voice 
hoarse  with  passion.  "  And  never  again  so  long  as 
my  heart  beats  will  it  hold  a  feeling  such  as  that  which 
fills  it  now." 

This  pleased  her,  and  she  smiled  sweetly  and  ten- 
derly, while  the  clasp  of  her  fingers  tightened  on  mine. 

"  Would  God  it  could  have  gone  otherwise  for  us," 


176          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

she  breathed,  her  eyes  lingering  lovingly  on  my  face, 
with  infinite  sadness  and  yearning. 

I  carried  her  fingers  to  my  hot  lips  and  kissed  them 
fervently. 

"  Go,  go,"  she  cried  passionately  at  the  touch  of  my 
lips.  "  Go,  or  I  shall  bid  you  stay,  let  the  consequences 
be  what  they  will." 

I  looked  up  into  her  radiant  face,  now  fired  with  her 
passion. 

"  One  touch  of  your  lips,  if  only  to  ease  my  suffer- 
ing." 

The  ruby  colour  flowed  rich  and  deep  over  her  face, 
and,  bending  forward,  she  kissed  me  on  the  forehead. 

"  Go,  in  pity  for  me,  go,"  she  cried,  excitedly. 

One  moment  longer  I  stood,  gazing  at  her  with  my 
soul  in  my  eyes,  feasting  my  senses  on  the  signs  of  her 
love,  and  then  I  tore  myself  away.  A  last  glance  as  I 
left  the  room  showed  me  that  she  had  thrown  herself 
back  in  her  chair  with  her  hands  clasped  in  front  of 
her  face. 

I  rushed  back  to  my  house,  my  head  bewildered 
and  dizzied  with  the  sweet  delirium  of  her  avowed 
love,  and  I  sat  like  a  crazy  lodn  for  hours,  running  over 
and  over  again  in  thought  all  the  incidents  of  the 
scene. 

She  loved  me.  Nothing  could  rob  me  of  the  sweet- 
ness of  that  knowledge.  All  else  that  could  happen 
was  as  nothing  compared  to  that.  The  plot  might 
succeed  or  fall  ;  she  loved  me.  Bulgaria  might  be  free 
or  enslaved ;  she  loved  me.  The  Russians  might 
triumph  or  fail ;  she  loved  me.  It  was  the  one  balm 
for  every  sorrow,  one  true  note  of  joy  in  every  trial ; 
she  loved  me  ;  and  I  was  mad  with  the  delight  of  it  all. 

In  the  early  evening  Spernow  came  to  me  ;  and  then 


"  IF  I  WERE  A  WOMAN  "  177 

I  remembered  with  an  effort — for  all  memory  was 
swallowed  up  in  the  one  delicious  remembrance  of  her 
love  avowal — that  I  had  promised  to  go  out  with  him. 
I  did  not  care  whether  I  went  or  stayed  ;  what  I  said  or 
did,  all  was  alike  indifferent  to  me ;  but  when  he  urged 
me,  I  dressed  and  went  with  him.  As  we  drove  along 
he  said  something,  however,  which  brought  my  intoxi- 
cated wits  together. 

"  Duke  Sergius  will  be  here  to-night,  Count.  We 
shall  see  what  he  means  to  do."  I  laughed  so  loudly 
that  he  looked  at  me  in  surprise.  What  cared  I  for  the 
Duke  Sergius  ?  I  carried  a  charmed  life,  for  Christina 
loved  me.  He  might  marry  her:  but  it  was  I  had  her 
heart.  If  he  killed  me,  he  could  not  alter  that.  And 
whether  I  lived  or  died  mattered  nothing  now.  I 
hoped  he  would  quarrel  with  me.  "  To  be  married  in 
three  days."  Marriages  are  not  made  with  the  dead, 
my  lord  Duke,  I  thought,  and  laughed  again. 

"  If  he  wants  to  quarrel  he  will  find  me  ready 
enough,"  I  said,  boastfully  and  noisily  ;  but  before  I 
entered  the  house  I  had  put  a  restraint  upon  myself 
and  wore  my  usual  reserve,  covering  up  that  mad,  wild, 
whirling  passion  that  was  heating  every  vein  in  my 
body.  I  soon  saw,  too,  there  was  a  cause  to  be  wary. 

"  His  friends  are  in  strong  force  here,"  muttered 
Spernow,  as  together  we  entered  the  room  and  were 
greeted  by  our  host,  a  man  named  Metzler,  who  led  us 
forward  chatting  pleasantly  about  nothing. 

There  were  about  a  dozen  of  us  in  all  in  the  room, 
and  the  first  glance  showed  me  that  it  was  intended  to 
be  a  wet,  wild  night.  Three  or  four  of  the  men  I  knew 
to  be  dare-devil  scapegraces,  hard  drinkers  and  harder 
players  even  for  that  city  of  hard  drinking  and  high 
gambling,  and  it  was  easy  to  see  by  their  faces  that 

12 


1 78          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

some  of  them  had  made  haste  to  begin,  for  they  were 
already  flushed  and  excited.  It  was  the  kind  of  party 
where  an  empty  glass  was  considered  a  sign  of  dis- 
courtesy to  the  host. 

The  Duke  was  gambling,  but  saw  me  enter,  and  when 
I  approached  him  gave  me  no  more  than  a  surly  nod 
in  place  of  his  customary  rather  effusive  greeting.  I 
augured  well  from  this,  but  was  careful  to  be  particu- 
larly courteous. 

In  a  few  minutes  Spernow  and  I  were  seated  at  a  table 
playing  some  silly  card  game  or  other  for  fairly  high 
stakes.  I  felt  no  interest  in  it,  and  cared  not  one  jot 
whether  I  won  or  lost.  I  staked  moderately  and  drank 
very  sparingly,  rinding  my  amusement  in  watching  the 
flushed  eagerness  of  the  men  about  me ;  the  noisy 
laughter  when  they  won,  and  the  muttered  oaths  when 
fortune  went  against  them. 

I  glanced  now  and  again  at  the  other  tables,  and  I 
noticed  that  the  Duke  was  in  much  the  same  mood  as 
myself,  and  twice  caught  him  scowling  angrily  and 
darkly  at  me.  Each  time  I  laughed  in  my  heart  and 
smiled  pleasantly  with  my  lips. 

"Fortune  with  you,  Duke?"  I  cried  the  second 
time. 

"  My  turn  is  coming,"  he  answered,  with  an  expres 
sion  that  in  a  dog  or  a  wolf  you  would  call  a  snarl. 

"  Well,  don't  be  afraid  to  back  it  when  it  does  come. 
I'm  winning,"  I  said  with  another  smile,  as  though 
cards  were  the  one  absorbing  thought  in  my  head  just 
then.  But  he  seemed  to  put  his  own  interpretation  on 
my  words,  for  he  answered  in  a  surly  tone  : 

"  Ah  !  your  luck  may  change  ;  "  and  he  turned  to  his 
game  again. 

After  an  hour  or  two  a  halt  was  called  for  supper, 


"  IF  I  WERE  A  WOMAN  "  179 

and  I  observed  that  the  Duke  scrupulously  avoided 
me.  I  noticed,  too,  that  he  had  begun  to  drink  much 
more  freely,  and  while  I  chatted  with  the  men  about 
me  I  kept  a  close  watch  upon  all  that  he  did. 

As  soon  as  supper  was  finished  the  glasses  were  re- 
filled and  the  gambling  began  again. 

"  Thank  Heaven  that's  over ;  now  we  can  settle  down 
to  business,"  said  one  of  the  men  near  me,  who  had 
been  a  high  player  and  a  heavy  loser ;  and  that  voiced 
the  thoughts  of  most  men  in  the  room. 

An  hour  later  I  noticed  that  Spernow  was  infected 
with  the  mania  for  high  play.  He  was  staking  large 
amounts,  which  I  knew  he  could  not  afford  to  lose,  and 
he  was  losing  them.  I  gave  him  a  warning  look  or  two, 
but  he  would  pay  no  heed  ;  and  to  create  a  diversion  I 
declared  that  I  had  played  enough.  It  was  all  to  no 
purpose,  however.  It  did  not  check  him,  and  it  irri- 
tated the  men  about  us. 

For  that  I  cared  nothing,  but  it  brought  the  crisis 
for  which  I  had  been  waiting.  The  men  were  urging 
me  to  continue,  and  I  was  refusing,  when  I  heard  the 
Duke  say  to  a  man  at  his  table,  in  a  voice  intentionally 
loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  all : 

"  Nothing  like  cards  to  test  a  man's  pluck;  "  and  he 
accompanied  the  words  with  a  sneer  and  a  shrug  of 
the  shoulders. 

I  would  not  take  the  words  to  myself,  though  I 
knew,  as  did  the  rest,  that  they  were  flung  at  me. 

"  I  would  rather  not  play  again,"  I  said  to  those 
about  me. 

"  I  don't  suppose  we  are  to  stop,  gentlemen,  to  please 
one  man's  caprice — or  cowardice,  or  whatever  you  call 
it,"  said  the  Duke  insolently. 

"  You  will  not  mind  if  we  resume,  Count  ?  "  said  our 


i8o          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

host,  nervously,  trying  to  fill  the  awkward  pause  that 
followed  the  words. 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  I  answered,  pleasantly,  for  all 
the  anger  that  began  to  stir  in  me.  "  I  will  look  on." 

"  No,  no,  Metzler,"  cried  the  Duke  noisily.  "  I 
object  to  that.  Lookers-on  can  see  too  much  and  can 
make  use  of  their  knowledge.  If  Count  Benderoff  is 
too  careful  of  his  money  to  play,  you  should  ask  him 
to  retire." 

"  That  is  the  third  unpleasant  thing  you  -have  said 
about  me  in  as  many  minutes,"  I  said,  turning  point- 
edly to  him,  but  speaking  coolly. 

"  Is  it  ? ''  and  he  laughed  insolently.  "  Well,  you're 
doing  a  deuced  unpleasant  thing,  and  I  suppose  I  may 
express  my  opinion."  This  time  two  of  the  other  men 
sniggered. 

*'  I  have  merely  expressed  a  wish  to  play  no  more." 

"  And  you  do  it  with  an  air  of  a  highly  virtuous 
priest  with  a  mission  to  teach  us  how  to  behave  our- 
selves. We  don't  want  you  Englishmen  or  Rouma- 
nians, or  whatever  you  please  to  call  yourself,  coming 
here  to  set  up  any  canting  standard  of  morals.  We 
can  look  after  ourselves,"  he  sneered,  his  face  flushed 
and  his  eyes  glittering  angrily. 

The  situation  was  fast  growing  serious,  and  every 
man  stopped  to  watch  us  two. 

"  I  have  done  nothing  of  the  kind,  as  you  and  these 
gentlemen  know  quite  well.  It  seems  that  you  wish 
to  insult  me  wantonly." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  I  don't  speak  the  truth, 
Count  Benderoff?"  he  cried,  rising  and  coming  to- 
wards me. 

"  Gentlemen,  this  has  surely  gone  far  enough,"  said 
Metzler,  his  face  pale,  as  he  put  himself  between  us 


"I   STRUCK    HIM    A    VIOLENT    BLOW    AND    KNOCKED    HIM    DOWN. 

— Page  181. 


"  IF  I  WERE  A  WOMAN  "  181 

hurriedly.  "  The  Count  has  only  expressed  a  desire 
not  to  play  any  longer,  and,  of  course,  in  my  house  I 
should  not  think  of  urging  him  ; "  and  he  glanced  at 
the  rest,  as  if  asking  them  to  interfere. 

"  Our  host's  views  are  my  answer  to  you,"  I  said. 

But  the  Duke  was  bent  on  the  quarrel. 

"  A  very  discreet  shield,"  he  sneered,  and  then  his 
passion  broke  out.  "  What  I  said  I  maintain,"  he  con- 
tinued furiously.  "You  have  tried  deliberately  to 
break  up  the  party  with  your  infernally  domineering 
interference.  I  have  had  far  too  much  of  your  inter- 
ference, not  only  here  but  elsewhere.  I'll  have  no 
more  of  it.  Who  are  you,  to  come  thrusting  yourself 
into  concerns  that  are  nothing  to  you  ?  If  you  don't 
like  our  company,  leave  it;  and  if  you  don't  like  the 
country,  leave  that  too.  And  the  sooner  the  better. 
This  is  no  garbage-heap  for  either  renegade  Rouma- 
nians or  cowardly  English  to  be  carted  here ;  "  and  he 
laughed  in  my  face. 

My  blood  boiled  at  his  words,  but  I  meant  the  quar- 
rel to  go  even  farther  yet,  and  after  a  pause  of  dead 
silence  I  answered,  clipping  my  words  short : 

"  Rather  a  hunting-ground  where  a  fortune  may  be 
picked  up  by  any  drunken,  bankrupt  Russian  duke, 
infamous  enough  to  stoop  to  any  cowardly  baseness." 

He  could  scarce  restrain  himself  to  hear  me  out 
before  he  flung  himself  at  me  in  wild,  desperate 
rage. 

I  caught  his  arm  in  my  left  hand  as  it  was  raised, 
and  flinging  out  my  right  with  all  my  strength  I  struck 
him  a  violent  blow  on  the  mouth  and  knocked  him 
down. 

In  another  moment  the  men  had  thrown  themselves 
between  us,  holding  him  as  he  struggled  to  his  feet 


182  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

and  drew  his  sword,  striving  to  get  at  me  and  cursing 
wildly. 

I  was  as  cool  now  outwardly  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened, and  in  my  heart  a  feeling  of  almost  wild  exulta- 
tion throbbed  and  rushed. 

"You  are  all  witnesses,  gentlemen,"  I  said  to  the 
men  near  me,  "  that  from  the  first  this  quarrel  has  been 
forced  upon  me.  Lieutenant  Spernow,  for  the  present 
you  will  act  for  me." 

"  I  will  have  your  life  for  this  ! "  cried  the  Duke, 
mad  with  rage. 

I  made  no  reply.  There  was  nothing  more  to  be 
gained  by  any  further  taunts. 

"  I  am  sorry  this  has  happened  here  and  to-night,"  I 
said  to  my  host.  "  But  you  must  have  seen  it  was 
none  of  my  seeking.  You  will  excuse  me  if  I  go." 

I  left,  and  walked  home  with  a  feeling  of  rare  pleas- 
ure at  the  thought  of  the  coming  fight.  If  I  did  not 
punish  him  for  his  foul  insult,  then  surely  was  I  what 
he  had  said — a  coward. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A  DASTARDLY   SCHEME 

As  soon  as  I  reached  home  I  despatched  a  servant 
in  hot  haste  for  Zoiloff,  and  when  he  arrived  I  told 
him  what  had  happened. 

"  He  forced  the  quarrel  on  you  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Certainly.  I  was  willing  enough,  Heaven  knows  ; 
but  there  was  not  a  man  in  the  room  who  would  not 
have  to  say  that  I  bore  his  insults  till  I  must  have 
seemed  all  but  a  coward.  But  I  wanted  to  make  this 
thing  a  life  and  death  affair.  And  it  is  that." 

"  You  will  kill  him  ? "  he  asked,  his  dark  eyes 
glowing. 

"  If  I  can,"  I  replied,  shortly  and  sternly. 

"  Good.  But  Heaven  knows  what  will  happen  after- 
wards. Though  if  the  thing  gets  wind  your  meeting 
may  be  prevented.  Old  Kolfort  will  be  mad  ;  and  if 
he  had  a  tool  there,  as  is  most  probable,  you  may  be 
arrested  before  morning." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,  or  I  would  have  finished 
the  thing  on  the  spot." 

"  And  gained  the  reputation  of  having  killed  a  man 
in  his  cups.  Thank  Heaven  you  didn't  think  of  it.  I 
suppose  the  man  means  to  fight,  but,  like  his  master, 
Kolfort,  he's  such  a  snake  you  never  know  what  he 
does  mean  till  he  has  done  it." 

"  No  man  who  spoke  as  he  did  could  hope  to  escape 

'83 


1 84          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

a  fight,"  I  replied,  growing  uneasy  at  his  words. 
"  What  do  you  suspect  ?  After  a  blow,  too,  he  must 
fight." 

"  He's  the  sort  of  man  who'd  be  capable  of  any- 
thing. He  might  insult  you  openly  like  that,  send  the 
challenge,  and  then  have  you  seized  secretly  and  shut 
up,  and  when  you  didn't  appear  on  the  ground  in  the 
morning,  post  you  for  a  coward.  I  know  him." 

"  It  would  be  an  infernal  move !  "  I  cried  hotly. 

"  It  would  be  reckoned  a  smart  Russian  trick,"  said 
Zoiloff  drily. 

"  Then,  we'll  checkmate  it.  We'll  have  enough  men 
here  to  make  my  arrest  impossible  ;  or,  better  still, 
perhaps  I'll  pass  the  night  somewhere  else.  You  and 
Spernow  can  arrange  all  the  preliminaries  of  the  meet- 
ing,  and  appoint  a  meeting  somewhere  to-morrow 
morning,  but  not  fix  the  actual  ground  until  that  ap- 
pointment is  kept  by  him  and  his  seconds  only.  I  will 
be  where  you  can  readily  fetch  me." 

"  Good  !  Yes,  we'll  do  that.  You'll  have  choice  of 
weapons.  What  shall  they  be  ?  I  should  choose  pis- 
tols. You're  sure  to  kill  him." 

"  He  shall  have  a  chance  to  save  his  life.  We'll  have 
swords.  But,  mind,  the  fight  is  to  be  to  the  death. 
No  stopping  for  a  trickle  of  blood  !  " 

"  That's  the  spirit  I  like,"  cried  Zoiloff  bluntly  ;  and 
then  we  discussed  the  plan  I  had  suggested.  He  told 
me  where  I  could  sleep  and  he  and  Spernow  could  find 
me  in  the  morning. 

"  I  should  be  off  at  once  if  I  were  you — and,  mind, 
get  a  night's  rest.  You'll  need  all  your  skill,  even  if 
we  succeed  in  bringing  him  up  to  the  scratch." 

"  I'll  go  the  moment  Spernow  arrives." 

"Then  take  my  advice.     Let  your  people  have  a 


A  DASTARDLY  SCHEME  185 

horse  saddled  at  once  and  kept  in  readiness  close  to 
some  back  way  out.  I  know  these  Russian  dodges." 

I  adopted  the  suggestion  at  once,  and,  sending  for 
my  head  groom,  Markov,  told  him  to  saddle  my  horse 
and  his,  where  to  station  himself,  and  to  be  prepared 
to  be  away  with  me  for  the  night ;  and,  lastly,  to  hold 
his  tongue.  After  that  I  changed  hurriedly  into  an 
undress  uniform,  got  together  the  one  or  two  things  I 
should  need,  and  joined  Zoiloff. 

"  I  don't  like  this  long  wait,"  he  said  impatiently.  "  I 
seem  to  smell  something  wrong.  Why  do  they  keep 
Spernow  like  this  ?  I  should  go,  Count,  if  I  were  you." 

"  I  can't  go  till  I  know  the  man's  making  a  show  of 
fighting,  at  any  rate." 

"  Picket  one  or  two  of  our  fellows,  then,  to  give  us 
warning.  The  house  may  be  surrounded  before  we 
know  anything  has  happened." 

"  It  isn't  necessary.  The  place  is  like  a  rabbit  war- 
ren ;  there's  an  underground  passage  that  lets  out  a 
hundred  yards  away,  and  it's  there  I've  told  the  man 
to  have  the  horses.  Half  a  regiment  couldn't  keep  me 
in  if  I  wanted  to  get  out." 

"  Some  infernal  spy  or  other  may  have  found  that 
out ;  "  and  then,  to  satisfy  him,  I  sent  out  half  a  dozen 
men  to  keep  watch. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  Spernow  arrived,  but  not 
before  Zoiloff's  patience  had  long  given  out.  Spernow 
explained  that  the  delay  had  been  caused  at  the  other 
house,  and  not  by  any  fault  of  his  own. 

"  Did  anyone  leave  before  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  the  meeting  broke  up  soon  after  the  Count 
left." 

"  Good-night,  Count, "  cried  Zoiloff  instantly. 
"  Don't  lose  another  moment." 


186          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  The  fight  is  to  come  off  ?  "  I  asked  eagerly. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Spernow,  in  surprise,  not  guessing 
our  suspicions. 

"  Then  good-night.  Zoiloff  will  explain  everything ; " 
and  as  I  turned  to  leave  a  servant  came  hurrying  in, 
pale  and  excited,  to  say  that  a  number  of  men,  some 
in  uniform,  were  approaching  the  house,  and  had  tried 
to  detain  him.  The  next  moment  a  furious  summons 
at  the  front  door  told  us  they  had  arrived. 

Before  the  noise  had  ceased  to  reverberate  through 
the  house,  I  was  in  the  underground  passage,  hurrying 
at  full  speed  to  the  place  where  the  horses  were  await- 
ing me.  Zoiloff's  suggestion  that  General  Kolfort 
might  know  of  the  secret  passage  gave  me  a  twinge  of 
uneasiness,  and  as  I  paused  to  open  the  little  door  of 
outlet  my  fears  were  more  than  verified,  for  I  heard  the 
cries  of  men  as  they  entered  the  passage  from  the  house 
end.  I  held  a  revolver  ready  as  I  slipped  out  into  the 
night,  and  at  a  little  distance  to  the  left  I  caught  sight 
of  a  couple  of  men,  just  perceptible  as  shadows  in  the 
gloom. 

Guessing  that  they  were  after  me,  and  had  not  known 
quite  where  to  lie  in  wait,  I  ran  swiftly  in  the  opposite 
direction,  fortunately  to  the  spot  where  I  should  find 
my  horse.  Once  in  the  saddle,  I  did  not  fear  pursuit. 
They  saw  me,  despite  all  my  precaution,  and  raised  a 
shout,  while  one  of  them  fired  a  pistol,  presumably  as  a 
signal,  and  then  I  heard  them  come  clattering  after  me. 

The  shot  was  answered  by  others,  and  the  place 
seemed  alive  with  men.  But  I  was  near  to  the  horses 
now,  and  could  see  them  in  the  little  clump  of  trees 
where  I  had  told  Markov  to  wait. 

"  Have  you  seen  any  horsemen  about  ?  "  I  asked,  as 
I  sprang  into  the  saddle. 


A  DASTARDLY  SCHEME  187 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  the  groom,  but  at  that  moment 
the  sound  of  galloping  came  from  both  directions. 

There  was  going  to  be  a  tussle  after  all,  it  seemed. 

"  You  have  your  pistols.  If  anyone  tries  to  stop  us, 
you  have  my  orders  to  fire — but  only  at  the  horses, 
mind.  Follow  me  close." 

We  were  on  a  small  heath,  and  I  pricked  my  horse 
into  an  easy  canter  in  the  direction  I  had  to  take  to 
get  to  the  place  of  which  Zoiloff  had  told  me. 

"  Halt !  Who  goes  there  ?  "  and  the  horseman 
checked  his  steed  with  a  rattle  of  steel  that  told  me  he 
was  a  cavalryman. 

"  A  friend,"  said  I,  but  not  drawing  rein. 

"  Halt  !  "  came  the  cry  again.  The  horseman  behind 
was  now  coming  up  fast,  and  I  could  hear  the  sounds 
of  the  others  scurrying  after  us  on  foot. 

"  I'm  in  a  hurry,  and  can't  wait,"  I  said. 

"  Halt,  or  I  shall  fire,"  and  I  heard  him  get  his  car- 
bine ;  but  I  was  not  going  to  be  trapped  by  a  single 
cavalryman,  and  before  he  had  an  idea  of  my  intention 
I  had  carried  it  into  execution. 

We  were  nearly  abreast  of  him,  cantering  easily, 
when  I  wheeled  my  horse  around,  dug  the  spurs  into 
his  sides,  dashed  right  against  the  man  who  had  chal- 
lenged me,  dragged  his  weapon  from  his  hands,  and 
flung  it  on  the  ground. 

"  Now,"  I  called  to  the  groom,  "  as  fast  as  the  wind, 
and  bend  low  ;  "  and  together  we  rattled  over  the  heath 
at  a  pace  that  made  pursuit  hopeless,  even  had  the  two 
men  behind  been  inclined  for  a  chase.  But  they  were 
not.  A  couple  of  shots  were  fired  after  us,  but  as  the 
darkness  hid  our  forms,  and  the  grass  deadened  our 
horses'  footfalls,  they  were  but  random  shots,  not  des- 
tined to  find  their  billets  in  our  bodies. 


188  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

After  a  sharp  burst  for  some  ten  minutes,  I  drew 
rein  and  listened.  Not  a  sound.  I  had  shaken  off  the 
pursuit.  At  the  same  time  I  deemed  it  advisable  to 
take  a  roundabout  route  to  our  destination,  and  in  this 
Markov,  who  knew  every  square  inch  of  the  country, 
was  able  to  guide  me. 

We  reached  the  place  without  further  mishap  ;  and 
ZoilofFs  name  acted  like  a  magic  pass-word  to  secure 
the  accommodation  we  needed.  Thus  my  Russian 
friends  had  not  even  the  satisfaction  of  robbing  me  of 
my  night's  rest. 

I  woke  in  the  morning,  all  anxiety  to  know  how 
Zoiloff  and  Spernow  had  fared,  what  arrangements  had 
been  made,  and  whether,  after  all,  we  should  succeed 
in  bringing  off  the  fight  without  interruption. 

I  could  also  take  a  clearer  view  of  the  seriousness  of 
the  attempt  made  to  capture  me  on  the  previous  night. 
The  more  I  considered  it  the  less  I  liked  it,  for  I  read 
in  it  a  determination  on  the  part  of  General  Kolfort  to 
remove  me  from  his  path,  at  all  events,  until  after  the 
marriage  of  the  Princess.  He  had  viewed  the  fact  of 
our  love  as  a  possible  stumbling-block  in  the  path  of 
his  policy,  and  was  resolved  to  deal  with  it  in  his  usual 
drastic  way  ;  and  it  was  easy  enough  to  see  that  even 
after  the  duel  he  would  continue  to  pursue  me. 

Zoiloff  arrived  while  I  was  in  this  rather  gloomy, 
meditative  mood. 

"  I  have  been  speculating  all  the  night  whether  I 
should  find  you  here,  Count,  for  I  could  not  learn  from 
the  men  who  came  to  your  house  whether  they  had 
caught  you  or  not.  They  were  wild  at  not  finding 
you  there,  and  ransacked  the  place  from  cellar  to  roof; 
and  almost  the  first  place  they  searched  was  that  un- 
derground passage.  I  concluded,  of  course,  that  they 


A  DASTARDLY  SCHEME  189 

would  have  men  posted  at  the  other  end,  and  feared 
therefore  that  they  had  got  you  in  a  trap.  How  did 
you  escape  ?  " 

I  told  him  briefly  what  had  happened,  and  that  only 
his  forethought  had  saved  me. 

"And  what  of  the  duel?"  I  concluded  eagerly. 

"All  is  right,  so  far,  I'm  glad  to  say.  Of  course, 
the  Duke  couldn't  appear  to  back  out  in  the  least ; 
and  his  men  represented  him  as  full  of  fight.  We  had 
a  bit  of  a  tussle  over  the  conditions,  but  I  wouldn't 
give  way.  They  wanted  me  to  fix  the  time  and  place 
at  once ;  but  I  told  them  pretty  plainly  that  to  do  that 
might  be  doing  no  more  than  giving  an  excellent  ap- 
pointment for  making  the  arrest  that  had  just  failed, 
and,  in  short,  that  it  was  impossible.  In  the  end  they 
had  no  option  but  to  agree,  and  we  are  to  meet  at  a 
little  village  about  five  miles  north  of  here  at  nine 
o'clock,  and  then  settle  the  ground.  What  I  propose 
is  that  you  should  ride  on  about  a  couple  of  miles 
further — I  know  a  splendid  place  for  a  meeting  there ; 
your  man  will  probably  know  the  ground  ;  and  if  I 
find  no  treachery  in  the  wind  I'll  bring  them  on.  If 
there  is  anything  wrong,  I'll  fix  another  spot,  and  let 
you  know  somehow.  But  I  think  it'll  be  all  right. 
The  men  acting  for  him  are  perfectly  straight." 

"  Yes,"  I  assented  readily.     "  It's  an  excellent  plan." 

"  But  what  about  afterwards  ?  If  you  kill  him,  there 
will  be  the  deuce  to  pay  ;  and  I  should  think  you  will 
have  to  fly  the  country  for  a  while  at  least." 

"  No,  I  shall  go  back  to  Sofia  and  face  it  out.     Men 

have  been  killed  in  duels  before.     The  fight  was  forced 

upon   me,  and   everything's   in  perfect    order.     Why 

should  I  run  away  ?  " 

.  "  Russian  dukes  are  not  often  killed  in  duels,  espe- 


190          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

cially  wheft  so  essential  to  Russian  schemes,"  he  an- 
swered drily. 

"  I  shall  take  my  chance  of  the  consequences.  We're 
not  so  feeble  that  they  can  do  what  they  like  to  me. 
I  shall  face  it  out." 

"  How  would  it  be  to  stop  short  of  killing  him?" 

"  My  dear  Zoiloff,  if  you  had  had  said  to  you  what 
was  said  to  me,  you  would  view  the  thing  as  I  do," 
I  said  sternly,  and  he  made  no  reply. 

I  called  in  my  man  then,  and  Zoiloff  gave  him  precise 
instructions  which  way  we  were  to  ride,  and  where  to 
wait ;  and  soon  afterwards  he  started  to  meet  the  duke 
and  his  seconds.  I  mounted  within  a  few  minutes  of 
his  departure,  and  as  I  rode  at  an  easy  pace  I  was  very 
thoughtful,  though  exultant  at  the  prospect  of  the 
encounter. 

It  was  a  glorious  morning.  The  sun  was  hot  and 
bright,  but  a  fresh,  invigorating  breeze  was  blowing, 
and  the  country  looked  beautiful.  The  hardy,  stal- 
wart peasantry,  men  and  women  alike,  were  at  work 
everywhere  in  the  fields,  toiling  with  that  industry  for 
which  they  are  famed  in  all  the  East ;  and,  save  that 
here  and  there  were  to  be  seen  the  ruined  homesteads 
which  told  their  grim  story  of  the  fearful  struggle  of 
a  few  years  previously,  the  landscape  seemed  redolent 
of  the  new  blessing  of  content  which  the  better  rule  of 
the  Prince  had  brought  in  its  train,  and  full  of  the 
promise  of  prosperity,  if  only  the  ban  of  political  in- 
trigue could  be  removed — certainly  a  land  of  promise 
with  a  great  future  under  a  ruler  with  such  high  ideals 
and  motives  as  Christina. 

As  I  thought  of  it,  she  seemed  farther  removed 
from  me  than  ever.  She  loved  me,  and  the  knowledge 
was  ineffably  sweet ;  but  it  was  a  love  that  could  have 


A  DASTARDLY  SCHEME  191 

no  fruition  ;  and  my  face  darkened  as  I  thought  of  the 
man  who  was  to  come  between  us — not  only  to  thwart 
our  love,  but  also  to  stand  between  her  and  the  real- 
isation of  the  dream  and  hopes  of  her  life  for  these 
people.  My  heart  was  as  iron  towards  him  ;  and  the 
bare  thought  of  his  foul  treachery  in  this  dastardly 
attempt  to  have  me  branded  as  a  coward — for  I  did 
not  hesitate  to  accept  that  theory  of  his  act — filled  me 
with  an  irresistible  impulse  to  take  his  life.  I  recalled 
his  burning  words  of  insult  and  contumely,  and  dwelt 
upon  them  till  they  stabbed  and  pricked  and  stung  me 
to  a  madness  of  passion  and  loathing. 

We  reached  the  little  village  in  good  time,  and 
halted  at  the  trysting  spot  to  wait  for  news  from  Zoiloff. 
This  was  so  long  in  coming  that  my  patience  was  ebbing 
fast,  until  I  saw  Spernow  approaching  at  a  hand  gallop. 

"All  is  arranged,  Count,"  he  said,  after  I  had  greeted 
him.  ' '  You  are  to  ride  back  about  half  a  mile  along  the 
road  I  have  come.  There  is  no  sign  of  any  interference. 
But  I  have  something  for  you."  He  drew  a  small  note 
from  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  me,  and  turned  away 
to  speak  to  my  servant. 

I  opened  it  quickly,  little  guessing  the  contents: 

"  I  have  heard  the  terrible  news  of  your  quarrel  with 
the  Duke  Sergius,  and  that  you  are  to  meet  to-mor- 
row. God  preserve  you  from  danger.  I  am  going  to 
ask  you  the  hardest  favour  that  could  be  put  in  words. 
I  know  of  your  skill,  and  of  the  terrible  provocation 
you  have  received,  but  I  beg  you  not  to  have  his  death 
on  your  soul.  Think  of  what  it  must  mean  to  us  all 
— to  me.  For  him  to  be  killed  by  you.  I  pray  you, 
for  my  sake.— CHRISTINA." 


192          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

I  stared  at  the  lines  in  a  fever  of  distraction.  At 
the  very  moment  when  the  cup  was  at  my  lips,  it  was 
to  be  dashed  away.  Just  when  I  had  fed  my  passion, 
and  had  been  goaded  by  the  remembrance  of  the  man's 
foul  acts  and  insults  to  a  vow  of  implacable  vengeance, 
I  was  to  do  nothing. 

I  could  not  grant  the  wish.  The  man  deserved  to 
die,  and  die  he  should  if  my  arm  were  strong  enough. 
I  could  not,  I  would  not,  let  him  escape  me.  He  had 
forced  the  quarrel,  and  it  must  go  through.  It  was  a 
just  cause,  and  I  was  in  the  right  throughout  ;  and  I 
crushed  the  paper  in  my  clenched  hand  and  vowed  the 
request  was  impossible. 

Yet  how  could  I  face  her  afterwards  and  say,  "  I  had 
your  plea  and  would  not  hearken  to  it  !  "  Was  ever 
man  more  plagued  ?  I  paced  up  and  down  the  turf 
fighting  the  fight  between  my  thirst  for  vengeance  and 
my  love  for  Christina  with  its  desire  to  grant  her  wish  ; 
and  never  had  I  fought  a  harder  battle. 

My  love  won,  of  course.  I  had  no  motives  in  life 
but  those  which  were  inspired  by  my  love  for  her  ;  and 
the  thought  of  myself,  appearing  red-handed  before 
her,  and  of  her  turning  from  me  in  abhorrence,  or  gaz- 
ing at  me  with  eyes  of  reproach  to  bid  me  never  see 
her  again  since  I  cared  so  little  as  not  to  grant  her 
wishes,  was  unbearable.  But  it  was  hard,  cruelly  hard  ; 
and  I  could  have  ground  my  teeth  in  the  stress  of  my 
keen  disappointment. 

I  questioned  Spernow  as  we  rode  together,  and  he 
told  me  that  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  had  given  him 
the  letter,  and  that  it  was  to  be  destroyed  as  soon  as 
read. 

I  tore  it  to  shreds  and  scattered  them  on  the  pass- 
ing wind,  with  a  smile  half  bitterness,  half  love  ;  though 


A  DASTARDLY  SCHEME  193 

I  would  fain  have  kept  the  letter  near  my  heart.  Then 
I  fell  moody  and  silent.  There  was  more  in  the  re- 
quest than  Christina  had  foreseen.  It  was  not  un- 
likely to  prove  my  death  warrant.  To  go  into  a  fight 
with  so  expert  a  swordsman  as  Duke  Sergius  was  dan- 
gerous enough  under  any  circumstances  and  at  any 
time.  But  to  fight  him  while  bound  to  act  only  on 
the  defensive,  and  to  refrain,  too,  from  taking  advan- 
tage of  such  openings  as  he  might  give,  magnified  the 
danger  many  times,  and  must  make  the  issue  less  than 
doubtful  for  me.  The  fight  was  to  be  to  the  death, 
or  till  one  of  us  was  so  wounded  as  to  be  unable  to 
continue  it,  and  it  was  clear  that,  if  I  was  not  to  at- 
tempt to  wound  him,  it  was  I  who  must  be  struck 
down. 

It  was  certain,  too,  that  so  expert  a  fencer  as  he 
would  soon  perceive  that  I  was  not  going  to  press  him, 
and  thus  he  could  fight  at  his  ease  and  wait  to  pick  out 
the  moment  when  he  could  most  easily  plunge  his 
sword  into  my  heart. 

If  I  escaped  with  my  life,  too,  I  had  to  suffer  the 
humiliation  of  defeat  at  his  hands  ;  and  I  groaned  in 
spirit  at  the  bondage  which  my  love  imposed. 

And  yet  I  blessed  the  gentleness,  little  regardful  of 
me  though  it  was,  that  had  inspired  the  plea. 

When  we  came  in  sight   of  the  others,  who  were 
already  waiting  for  us,  my  mind  was  made  up  and  my 
decision  taken.     The  Duke  should  live,  even  if  it  cost 
me  my  life. 
'3 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  FIGHT 

As  I  dismounted  I  saluted  the  others  and  glanced 
sharply  at  the  Duke,  who  feigned  not  to  notice  my 
salute,  and  looked  away  without  returning  it.  I  hoped 
I  could  detect  an  expression  of  genuine  anxiety  on  his 
face,  as  if  he  did  not  at  all  relish  the  turn  things  had 
taken  ;  and  purposely  I  assumed  as  dark  and  stern  an 
expression  as  I  could  force  into  my  face.  Though  I 
was  debarred  from  killing  him,  I  would  at  least  act  as 
if  I  meant  to. 

It  did  not  take  much  time  to  select  the  place  and 
complete  the  necessary  preliminaries,  and  while  I  was 
making  ready  I  drew  Zoiloff  aside. 

"  I  must  have  a  last  word  with  you,  my  friend,"  I 
said  earnestly.  "  Matters  have  taken  a  strange  turn 
since  I  saw  you  ;  I  have  had  an  urgent  request  from 
the  Princess  not  to  kill  the  Duke,  and  I  don't  hide 
from  myself  that  I  am  now  going  probably  to  my  death. 
If  I  am  to  act  only  on  the  defensive,  I  can't  carry  on 
the  fight  indefinitely,  of  course ;  and,  if  I  fall,  I  charge 
you  on  your  honour  to  let  the  Princess  know  that  my 
last  thoughts  were  of  her." 

He  saw  instantly  how  grave  the  prospect  was,  and 
was  more  moved  than  I  could  have  believed. 

"  We  have  arranged  that  it  shall  be  to  the  death, 

Count.     She  had  no  right  to  make  such  a  request. 
194 


THE  FIGHT  195 

Not  knowing  the  conditions,  such  a  request  cannot, 
and  must  not,  be  listened  to.  She  cannot  wish  your 
death  rather  than  his.  Women  don't  understand  these 
things.  You  must  not  be  bound." 

"  I  have  reasoned  it  out  in  my  own  way,"  I  answered 
with  a  smile,  "  and  I  shall  observe  the  condition." 

"  By  Heaven,  I  would  have  had  no  hand  in  it  at  all 
had  I  foreseen  this.  But  I  suppose  she  does  not  wish 
you  to  be  killed  like  a  sheep,  without  an  effort,"  he 
cried  excitedly.  "  You  can  wound  him,  at  any  rate. 
But  die  you  must  not.  We  cannot  spare  you,  Count ; 
she  cannot,  she  does  not,  know  what  she  asks." 

"  When  you  think  it  over  calmly  you  will  see  she  is 
right.  He  must  not  die  by  my  hand,  things  being  as 
they  are."  He  knew  what  I  meant,  and  had  no  answer 
to  it.  He  wrung  my  hand,  much  affected  ;  and,  after 
a  moment,  growled  into  his  moustache  : 

"  Hang  the  women  ;  they  spoil  everything." 

"  Remember,"  I  said,  warningly,  "  if  things  go  badly 
with  me,  give  my  message — but  no  reproaches.  She 
must  know  nothing  except  that  I  was  beaten  by  the 
Duke's  superior  skill.  On  your  honour,  Zoiloff  ?" 

"  On  my  honour,"  he  answered  ;  and,  as  I  was  ready, 
we  went  forward  together. 

The  Duke  eyed  me  with  a  look  of  hate,  and  it  was 
easy  to  see  he  meant  to  do  his  worst.  As  our  swords 
crossed,  and  we  engaged,  I  seemed  to  feel  the  thrill  of 
his  passion,  as  if  it  were  an  electric  current  passing 
through  the  steel. 

He  fought  well  and  cleverly,  but  he  was  not  my 
match.  I  had  been  trained  in  a  better  school,  and 
held  him  at  bay  without  much  difficulty.  I  was  much 
cooler,  too,  than  he ;  and  his  fiery  temper  made  him 
too  eager  to  press  the  fight. 


196          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

He  made  no  attempt  to  wound  me  slightly,  but 
sought  with  the  vindictiveness  of  passion  to  get  through 
my  guard  and  thrust  his  blade  into  my  heart.  My 
fighting  was  all  defensive  ;  and  after  a  short  time  my 
tactics  evidently  puzzled  him.  He  thought  my  object 
was  to  wear  him  down.  This  cooled  him,  and  he 
began  to  fight  much  more  warily  and  cautiously,  and 
with  far  less  waste  of  energy  and  strength. 

The  first  point  fell  to  me,  partly  by  accident.  Mak- 
ing an  over-zealous  thrust  at  my  body,  which  I  parried 
with  some  difficulty,  he  came  upon  my  sword  point, 
which  just  touched  his  body  and  drew  blood.  The 
seconds  interfered  ;  his  wound  was  examined  and  found 
to  be  slight,  and  we  were  ordered  to  re-engage. 

In  the  second  bout  he  changed  his  tactics,  and  again 
attacked  me  with  great  impetuosity.  The  result  was 
what  might  have  been  expected.  He  gave  me  more 
than  one  chance  which  I  could  have  taken  with  deadly 
effect ;  and  when  he  saw  that  I  did  not — for  he  fenced 
well  enough  to  understand  this — I  saw  him  smile  sar- 
donically. He  might  well  wonder  why  I  should  wish 
to  spare  him.  But  each  time  Christina's  words  were 
before  my  eyes  and  ringing  in  my  ears,  and,  bitterly 
though  I  hated  him,  I  dared  not,  and  would  not,  kill 
him.  Then  he  wounded  me.  He  thought  he  had 
found  the  opportunity  he  sought,  and  his  eyes  gleamed 
viciously  as  he  lunged  desperately  at  my  heart.  I 
parried  the  stroke,  but  not  sufficiently,  for  I  felt  his 
sword  enter  my  side,  and  for  a  moment  I  thought  all 
was  over. 

But  when  the  fight  was  stopped  for  the  second  time 
it  was  found  that  the  blow  had  gone  home  too  high, 
and  had  pierced  the  flesh  above  the  heart,  and  close 
under  the  shoulder.  The  blood  made  a  brave  show, 


THE  FIGHT  197 

but  there  was  no  danger — nothing  to  prevent  my 
fighting  on  ;  and  again  we  had  to  engage. 

It  was  now  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  could 
restrain  myself  to  act  only  on  the  defensive.  The  tri- 
umphant gleam  in  his  eyes  when  his  sword  found  its 
way  into  my  body  had  sent  my  temper  up  many  de- 
grees. A  man  of  honour,  having  such  skill  of  fence  as 
he  possessed,  and  seeing  that  I  was  making  no  effort 
to  attack  him,  and  was,  indeed,  actually  letting  pass 
the  openings  he  gave,  would  have  refused  to  continue 
a  fight  on  such  unequal  terms.  But  he  grew  more 
murderous  the  longer  we  fought,  and  more  than  once 
made  a  deliberate  use  of  my  reluctance  to  wound  him 
by  exposing  himself  recklessly  in  order  to  try  and  kill 
me.  He  did  it  deftly  and  skilfully,  with  great  caution, 
step  by  step,  as  if  to  assure  himself  of  the  fact  before 
he  relied  and  risked  too  much  upon  it ;  but,  having 
satisfied  himself,  he  grew  bolder  every  minute. 

It  was  no  better  than  murder ;  and,  strive  as  I  would, 
remembering  Christina's  words  and  seeking  to  be  loyal 
to  her,  I  could  not  stop  my  rising  temper  nor  check 
the  rapidly  growing  desire  to  punish  him  for  his  abom- 
inable and  cowardly  tactics.  As  the  intention  hardened 
in  my  mind,  so  my  fighting  changed.  My  touch  grew 
firmer,  more  aggressive  ;  I  began  to  press  him  in  my 
turn,  and  to  show  him  the  dangers  that  he  ran.  He 
read  the  thought  by  that  subtle  instinct  which  all 
swordsmen  know,  and,  as  my  face  grew  harder  and  my 
eyes  shone  with  a  more  deadly  light,  I  saw  him  wince, 
and  noted  the  shadow  of  fear  come  creeping  over  his 
face  and  into  his  eyes.  He  began  to  fight  without 
confidence  and  nervously,  dropping  the  attack  and 
standing  like  a  man  at  bay. 

I  pressed  him  harder  and  harder,  my  blood  growing 


i98          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

ever  more  and  more  heated  with  the  excitement  of  the 
fight ;  Christina's  words  were  forgotten ;  and  springing 
up  again  in  my  breast  came  that  deadly  resolve  of  the 
previous  night  to  kill  him.  He  read  it  in  my  face 
instantly,  and  it  drove  him  to  make  one  or  two  des- 
perate and  spasmodic  attempts  to  get  at  me  ;  though  I 
noticed  with  a  grim  smile  that  now  he  was  cautious  not 
to  expose  himself  as  before. 

I  defeated  his  attempts  without  difficulty,  and  was 
even  in  the  act  of  looking  out  for  an  opening  to  strike, 
when  the  remembrance  of  my  pledge,  and  of  what  my 
love  would  say  to  me  if  I  killed  him,  shot  back  into  my 
mind,  and  at  a  stroke  killed  all  the  desire  to  kill.  The 
change  of  mood  must  in  some  way  have  affected  my 
fighting,  as  we  know  it  will,  for  I  left  myself  badly 
guarded,  and  like  a  dart  of  lightning  his  blade  came 
flashing  at  me. 

I  was  wounded  again ;  but,  fortunately,  malice,  or 
fear,  or  too  great  glee,  made  him  over-confident,  so 
that  his  aim  was  awry,  and,  instead  of  piercing  my 
heart,  his  sword  glanced  off  my  ribs,  inflicting  another 
flesh  wound,  but  barely  more  than  skin  deep. 

"  This  can't  go  on,"  growled  Zoiloff  in  my  ear,  dur- 
ing the  pause.  "  You  could  have  killed  him  half  a 
dozen  times.  We  shall  be  here  all  day."  The  absurd 
bathos  of  the  speech  made  me  smile,  despite  the  grim 
situation,  and  the  smile  was  still  lurking  on  my  face 
when  we  crossed  swords  for  the  fourth  time.  A  glance 
at  my  opponent's  face  was  enough  to  kill  any  smile, 
however  ;  and  almost  as  soon  as  our  blades  touched  he 
commenced  again  to  force  the  fight  as  though  he 
meant  to  finish  it  off  quickly.  So  vehement  was  his 
attack,  that  for  awhile  I  needed  all  my  nerve  and  skill 
to  defend  myself  ;  but  I  contented  myself  with  defen- 


:I  RAN  MY  SWORD  THROUGH  HIS  NECK." Page 


THE  FIGHT  199 

sive  tactics — for  the  interval  had  cooled  my  temper — 
until,  by  a  little  dastardly,  unswordsmanlike  trick,  he 
tried  to  catch  me  at  a  disadvantage.  In  an  instant  my 
passion  flamed  up  beyond  restraint,  and  before  there 
was  time  for  me  to  regain  control  of  my  temper,  an 
opening  came  in  his  guard,  and,  unable  to  stay  the 
fighting  instinct  to  take  advantage  of  it,  I  ran  my 
sword  through  his  neck. 

The  blood  came  gushing  out  in  a  full  crimson  stream 
from  the  wound  and  through  his  parted  lips,  dyeing 
his  shirt  front  ;  he  staggered  back,  his  sword  dropped 
from  his  nerveless  grasp,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground  with 
a  groan. 

I  looked  on  more  than  a  little  aghast  at  my  work. 
If  he  should  die  !  And  at  the  thought  the  picture  of 
Christina's  face  as  she  would  meet  me  flashed  before 
my  eyes,  and  for  the  moment  I  would  have  given  all  I 
was  worth  to  have  called  back  that  laggard  thrust. 

Zoiloff  and  Spernow  came  and  stood  by  me,  as  I 
waited,  sword  in  hand,  to  know  if  the  fierce  combat  was 
to  go  on  still  further.  Then  his  chief  second  crossed 
to  us,  and  in  a  formal  tone  said  : 

"  My  principal  can  fight  no  longer." 

"Is  the  hurt  dangerous?  Will  he  die?  "  I  asked, 
and  the  man  glanced  at  me  in  evident  surprise  at  the 
concern  in  my  tone. 

"  Not  necessarily.  The  wound  is  severe,  but  the 
doctor  says  the  artery  has  not  been  touched."  Then 
after  a  pause  he  added,  as  if  in  involuntary  compliment 
to  the  skill  I  had  shown  :  "  It  is  surprising  that  the 
fight  lasted  so  long,  Count  Benderoff.  I  can  bear  wit- 
ness that  he  owes  his  life  to  your  forbearance."  And 
with  a  bow  as  formal  as  his  tone  he  went  back  to  the 
others. 


200          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  We  may  go,"  said  Zoiloff  ;  and  I  handed  him  my 
sword  and  then  dressed. 

"  I  am  glad  you  wounded  him.  I  feared  you  were 
going  to  let  him  kill  you.  He  tried  his  utmost,  and 
you  had  one  very  narrow  escape,"  said  Zoiloff.  "  But 
now,  where  are  we  to  go  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  first  to  make  quite  certain  about  the 
nature  of  his  wound.  Will  you  question  the  surgeon 
yourself  ?  Spernow  and  I  will  wait  by  the  horses." 

"  What  of  your  own  wounds  ?  Won't  you  have  them 
dressed  ?  Better  run  no  risks." 

I  had  almost  forgotten  them  in  my  excitement,  but 
I  agreed  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  surgeon  could  be  spared 
from  his  attendance  on  the  Duke  he  came  and  dressed 
them  rapidly.  The  one  was  a  mere  scratch,  and  the  other 
not  by  any  means  serious.  I  had  been  lucky  indeed 
to  escape  so  lightly.  "  A  couple  of  days'  rest  for  the 
arm  would  be  enough,"  declared  the  doctor,  who  was 
inclined  to  be  garrulous  about  the  affair  until  he  found 
that  I  made  no  response. 

When  he  had  finished  with  me,  however,  I  questioned 
him  as  to  my  opponent's  condition.  He  gave  me  a 
learned  and  technical  description  of  the  exact  character 
of  the  injury,  and  then  in  simple  and  intelligent  lan- 
guage told  me  that  in  all  probability,  if  the  wound 
healed  as  it  should,  the  Duke  would  be  a  prisoner  to 
his  room  for  two  or  three  weeks ;  if  it  healed  badly,  it 
might  be  as  many  months.  But  he  put  his  estimate 
at  not  more  than  a  month. 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  his  death?  "  I  asked. 

"  Not  the  least,  unless  he  is  imprudent.  In  a  month's 
time  he  should  be  quite  able  to  fight  another  duel 
should  he  feel  so  disposed." 

I  saw  no  wit  in  so  grim  a  pleasantry,  for  he  intended 


THE  FIGHT  201 

it  as  such,  and  turned  away  with  a  hasty  word  of  thanks 
for  his  attention. 

"  Where  to  ?  "  asked  Zoiloff  when  we  were  mounted. 

"  Back  to  Sofia,"  I  answered  promptly.  "  I  am 
going  straight  to  General  Kolfort  to  ascertain  the 
meaning  of  last  night's  attempt  on  me  ; "  and  I  clapped 
my  heels  into  my  horse's  flanks  and  started  at  a  sharp 
pace  for  the  city. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

MY  ARREST 

I  HAD  not  ridden  more  than  a  couple  of  miles 
towards  the  city  when  a  thought  occurred  to  me  and 
caused  me  to  draw  rein  suddenly  and  call  to  my  com- 
panions to  halt. 

" Anything  wrong?"  asked  Zoiloff,  looking  about 
him  anxiously. 

"  It  has  just  occurred  to  me  that,  as  I'm  going  to  put 
my  head  in  the  lion's  mouth  by  going  to  General  Kol- 
fort,  I  had  better  not  go  unprepared,  and  I  have  just 
thought  of  a  precaution  I  can  take." 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  can't  at  present  explain  to  you  fully,  but  you  or 
Spernow  can  help  me.  I  must  find  some  place  before 
I  enter  Sofia  where  I  can  write  for  an  hour  or  two. 
Where  can  I  go  ?  " 

He  thought  a  moment,  and  said : 

"  The  safest  place  would  be  back  to  where  you  passed 
the  night.  I  am  sure  of  those  people,  and  they  know 
how  to  hold  their  tongues  ;  "  and,  changing  our  direc- 
tion, we  set  off  for  the  house  at  a  brisk  trot. 

My  intention  was  to  write  out  a  full  report  now  for 
the  British  Foreign  Office,  giving  a  detailed  account 
of  the  position  of  matters  in  regard  to  the  Russian 
scheme,  of  the  part  I  had  played  in  it,  and  of  what  I 
believed  to  be  the  Russian  designs  against  me.  I  did 

not  forget  the  condition  that  if  I  failed  the  Foreign 
202 


MY  ARREST  203 

Office  were  to  be  at  liberty  to  disown  me,  and  that  the 
whole  and  sole  responsibility  of  my  present  action  lay 
with  me,  let  the  consequences  be  what  they  might. 
But  I  calculated  that  so  far  I  had  kept  aloof  from  com- 
mitting the  Government  in  any  way,  and  could  thus 
claim  the  protection  of  the  Foreign  Office  should  any 
personal  violence  be  contemplated  by  old  Kolfort. 

I  thought  out  carefully  what  I  had  to  say,  and  when 
we  arrived  at  the  house  set  to  work  with  a  will.  I  gave 
a  clear  description  of  the  Princess's  counterplot,  and 
then  added  my  reason  for  believing  that,  although  it 
was  likely  to  fail  now,  it  could  yet  be  used  for  the  ad- 
vantage of  Bulgaria  and  the  Balkan  States  generally. 
The  Prince  had  decided  to  abdicate,  and  if  measures 
could  be  taken  from  Downing  Street  to  have  a  suc- 
cessor to  him  ready,  whether  that  successor  should  be 
Princess  Christina  or  another,  and  the  abdication  so 
timed  as  to  fit  in  with  such  a  plan,  it  would  be  perfectly 
feasible  to  checkmate  the  Russian  move.  My  own 
opinion,  I  declared,  was  in  favour  of  putting  the  Prin- 
cess on  the  throne,  thus  apparently  acting  in  co-opera- 
tion and  concert  with  Russia,  while  at  the  same  time 
taking  secret  measures  to  prevent  any  marriage  on  her 
part  with  a  Russian  ally. 

For  myself,  I  asked  merely  that,  in  the  event  of  my 
being  imprisoned  by  General  Kolfort,  the  British  rep- 
resentative in  Bulgaria  might  be  instructed  by  telegraph 
to  press  either  for  my  being  liberated  or  brought  to 
trial.  No  more  to  be  done  than  would  be  done  in  the 
case  of  an  ordinary  British  subject. 

When  I  had  completed  the  despatch,  I  drafted  a  tel- 
egram announcing  that  it  was  on  its  way,  and  I  in- 
structed my  companions  how  they  were  to  act.  Sper- 
now  was  to  take  the  work  in  hand,  and  to  push  on 


204          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

now  for  the  Servian  frontier,  and  take  the  train  there 
for  Nish,  where  I  knew  there  was  a  particularly  ener- 
getic British  Consul.  If  no  communication  reached 
Spernow  from  me  within  twenty-four  hours  of  his 
arrival  at  Nish  he  was  to  send  off  the  despatch  by  the 
quickest  available  means,  and  twenty-four  hours  later 
— so  as  to  allow  enough  time  to  elapse  to  prevent  the 
letter  being  intercepted — the  telegram  was  to  follow. 
Then  Spernow  was  to  return  in  hot  haste  to  Sofia  to 
report  to  Zoiloff.  He  undertook  the  commission  very 
readily,  asking  only  that  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  should 
be  told  of  the  reason  for  his  absence,  and  that  Zoiloff 
should  arrange  the  difficulties  of  getting  him  leave  of 
absence  from  his  regiment. 

Zoiloff  and  I  then  resumed  our  ride  to  Sofia,  dis- 
cussing very  earnestly  the  new  development  of  our 
affairs  and  the  possibilities  which  lay  ahead  of  my 
interview  with  the  General. 

I  scarcely  thought  he  would  venture  to  imprison  me, 
resolute  and  ruthless  as  he  was  in  pressing  his  policy ; 
and  I  said  as  much  to  Zoiloff,  who  was,  however,  more 
doubtful. 

"  In  any  case  it  must  make  no  difference  to  our 
scheme,"  I  said.  "You  must  push  on  without  me, 
and  hurry  forward  all  the  preparations  with  the  utmost 
despatch.  I  should  like  you  to  see  the  Princess  and  ex- 
plain to  her  precisely  what  has  happened  this  morning, 
although  you  need  know  nothing  of  her  message  to  me." 

"  I  understand,"  he  said  drily  ;  "  but  I  should  like 
to  warn  her  against  imperilling  a  valuable  life  when 
she  doesn't  know  the  facts.  It  may  be  my  turn  next 
— who  knows  ?  " 

"You  would  act  as  I  did,  my  friend,"  I  replied, 
smiling ;  "  I  know  you." 


MY  ARREST  205 

"  Well,  the  conditions  would  never  be  the  same,"  he 
said  bluntly ;  and  I  did  not  pursue  the  point  any 
further. 

When  we  reached  Sofia  we  parted. 

"  How  shall  I  know  what  happens  at  the  General's?  " 
he  asked. 

"  If  you  do  not  hear  from  me,  you  may  draw  your 
own  conclusion  that  I  am  on  my  way  to  Tirnova.  If 
we  are  not  to  meet  again — good-bye ;  "  and  I  held  out 
my  hand. 

He  grasped  it  warmly,  and  with  a  ring  of  true  stal- 
wart friendship  he  said  :  "  If  they  shut  you  up  it'll  go 
hard  with  me  if  I  don't  find  you.  And  if  they  kill  you 
you  have  my  oath  on  it  you  sha'n't  go  unavenged,  if  I 
have  to  shoot  that  infernal  old  ruffian  with  my  own 
hand.  It  shall  be  life  for  life."  And  without  another 
word,  as  though  he  did  not  wish  me  to  see  how  much 
he  was  moved,  he  clapped  his  heels  into  his  horse's 
flanks  and  cantered  off. 

I  avoided  my  own  house  purposely,  lest  some  of  the 
General's  agents  should  be  waiting  there  for  me,  for  I 
wished  it  to  be  unmistakably  clear  that  my  interview 
with  the  General  was  by  my  own  choice ;  and  I  did  not 
draw  rein  till  I  had  reached  the  courtyard  of  his 
house.  Then,  telling  Markov  to  wait  for  me  with  the 
horses  in  the  street,  I  entered  the  house  and  asked  for 
General  Kolfort. 

I  could  see  that  my  visit  caused  surprise,  and  ob- 
served that  one  or  two  of  the  soldiers  present  made 
haste  to  post  themselves  so  that  my  retreat  would  be 
impossible.  I  was  shown  upstairs  into  the  room  where 
I  had  first  seen  the  General,  and  where,  as  usual,  one 
or  two  officers  were  lounging.  I  was  kept  there  about 
half  an  hour — quite  long  enough  to  irritate  me — and 


206          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

then    a    messenger    ushered   me   into   the   General's 
room. 

He  looked  even  harder  and  grimmer  and  sterner  than 
ever  as  he  glanced  up  from  his  desk  and  fixed  his  eyes 
on  me. 

"  What  is  your  business  with  me  ?  "  he  asked  curtly. 

"  That  is  the  question  I  have  come  to  put  to  you,"  I 
retorted,  quite  as  shortly. 

"Why  to  me?" 

"  Because  I  have  heard,  not  quite  incidentally,  that 
you  have  been  sending  to  my  house  to  inquire  for  me." 

"  You  appear  to  have  been  called  away  suddenly." 

"  Driven  away,  I  should  say  rather,"  I  retorted. 
"  May  I  ask  why  you  have  dared  to  make  such  an 
attempt?" 

"  Dared  ?  "  he  returned,  with  a  flash  of  his  eyes  at 
the  word. 

"  Dared,"  I  repeated. 

"  I  am  not  answerable  to  you  for  the  steps  taken  in 
the  exigencies  of  State." 

"  Exigencies  of  State  you  term  it.  A  singular  name 
to  describe  an  act  which  in  plain  terms  means  that  when 
one  of  your  chief  men  has  forced  a  quarrel  on  me  and 
challenged  me,  you  would  shut  me  up  to  prevent  our 
meeting,  so  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity  of 
branding  me  as  a  coward." 

"  I  do  not  think  you  a  coward,"  he  answered  slowly. 

"  Nor  does  your  Duke  Sergius  now,"  said  I. 

This  touched  him,  for  he  asked  with  evident  interest : 
"What  has  happened  this  morning?  A  good  deal  may 
turn  on  your  answer." 

"  He  is  not  dead,  if  that's  what  you  mean — only 
badly  wounded  ;"  and  I  gave  him  a  brief  description  of 
the  fight.  He  listened  closely,  but  without  a  sign  of 
his  feelings  on  his  face. 


MY  ARREST  207 

"  You  seem  to  suggest  that  you  could  have  killed 
him,"  he  said  with  half  a  sneer. 

"  His  own  second  said  as  much  to  me,  and  offered  to 
bear  witness  to  the  fact  that  he  owed  his  life  to  my 
forbearance." 

"  A  very  tactful  forbearance.  And  why  did  you  spare 
him  ?  From  what  I  hear,  there  is  little  love  lost  be- 
tween you — at  least,  in  the  common  sense  of  the  term," 
he  added  drily. 

"  I  had  my  reasons,  and  they  are  my  own,  if  you 
please.  But  now  will  you  tell  me  the  reason  f°r  your 
conduct?  " 

"  I  do  not  consider  it  safe  for  you  to  be  any  longer 
at  large." 

The  answer  was  given  deliberately,  and  after  a  pauses 
It  showed  that  his  intention  was  to  imprison  me ;  but 
I  would  not  let  him  see  the  unpleasant  effect  of  the 
decision.  I  smiled  and  shrugged  my  shoulders. 

"  And  your  reasons  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  am  not  accustomed  to  discuss  reasons  with 
prisoners." 

"  Yet  you  will  have  to  state  them  in  my  case. 
Englishmen  can't  be  packed  away  like  herrings  in  a 
barrel  to  suit  even  your  convenience." 

"  You  are  no  Englishman,  Count  Benderoff." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  am  a  British  subject,  General 
Kolfort,  and  am  resolved  to  claim  my  rights  as 
one." 

He  waved  the  words  aside  as  though  they  were  of 
no  account. 

"  I  warned  you  when  you  first  came  here " 

"  When  you  lured  me  here,  you  mean,"  I  corrected. 

"  That  you  would  have  to  choose  in  which  character 
I  was  to  deal  with  you,  ]Had  you  chosen  then  to  stand 


ao8          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

on  your  British  nationality — which,  by  the  way,  I 
question  entirely — I  should  have  known  how  to  deal 
with  you.  Instead  of  dealing  frankly  with  me,  you 
chose  to  remain  in  Sofia,  mixing  yourself  up  with  in- 
trigues  against  me,  and  doing  other  ridiculous  things, 
until  I  repeat  I  cannot  any  longer  allow  you  to  remain 
at  large.  I  shall  send  you  to  Tirnova,  that  you  may 
have  time  to  cool  your  inconvenient  passions  and  clear 
your  head." 

"  Very  well,  I  am  content  to  go.  It  will  be  an  ex- 
cellent  illustration  for  the  guidance  of  Europe  as  to 
Russian  policy  in  the  Balkans." 

"  When  Europe  hears  of  it,"  he  returned  significantly. 

I  blessed  my  prudence  as  I  thought  of  the  despatch 
I  had  sent  by  Spernow,  and  at  the  thought  a  smile 
flitted  across  my  face.  He  stared  at  me  in  some 
doubt,  not  understanding  my  confidence. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  think  I  am  only  a  short-sighted 
fool,  after  all,  General." 

"  I  have  not  formed  a  very  high  opinion  of  your 
foresight.  I  know  you  to  be  brave  and  hold  you  to  be 
clever  in  your  way ;  but  a  little  longer  foresight  would 
have  shown  you  that  such  an  ending  as  this  was  inevi- 
table when  you  decided  to  meddle  with  politics  here 
and  to  act  as  my  secret  opponent." 

I  began  to  wonder  how  much  he  knew  of  our  plans. 

"  I  did  not  so  lack  foresight  as  to  come  to  this  meet- 
ing unprepared,  at  any  rate,"  said  I,  significantly.  "And 
if  you  throw  me  into  one  of  your  confounded  prisons, 
the  news  will  soon  be  buzzing  in  every  Foreign  Office 
in  Europe  that  Englishmen  must  be  deprived  of  their 
liberty  in  order  to  prove  Russia's  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  freedom  in  the  Balkans."  I  threw  the  words  at  him 
recklessly,  and  all  his  self-restraint  could  not  help  his 


MY  ARREST  '209 

showing  that  the  blow  went  home.  He  had  not  ex- 
pected this. 

"  I  don't  believe  you,"  he  said  bluntly. 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  you  ;  but  if  you  were  a 
younger  man,  General  Kolfort,  you  would  not  dare  to 
say  that  to  my  face,"  I  added,  sternly. 

"  You  will  find  it  no  easy  task  to  get  your  news  out 
of  Bulgaria." 

"  If  I  had  not  known  it  was  already  safe  across  the 
frontier,  do  you  think  I  should  have  been  fool  enough 
to  come  here  ;  "  and  I  laughed  and  shrugged  my  shoul- 
ders, enjoying  his  embarrassment.  Then  I  pushed  my 
advantage.  "  But  now,  I  am  ready  for  your  men. 
Where  are  you  sending  me  ?  Tirnova  ?  "  And  I  got 
up  as  though  the  prison  were  immaterial  to  me. 

He  didn't  relish  the  piece  of  bluff,  and  sat  silent  and 
uneasy. 

"  You  can  sit  down  again,"  he  said  after  a  pause. 

I  threw  myself  carelessly  into  my  chair  again,  crossed 
my  legs,  glanced  at  my  watch  and  said,  lightly : 

"  Tirnova's  over  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  as  the 
crow  flies,  and  if  you  have  any  regard  for  my  health — 
which,  by  the  way,  may  be  an  important  matter  to  you 
by  and  by — we'd  better  make  a  start.  I'm  wounded, 
and  a  long  journey  might  have  a  very  bad  effect  upon 
me." 

He  threw  me  a  glance  of  baffled  rage ;  I  saw  his  lips 
move,  and  guessed  that  a  pretty  little  oath  had  slipped 
out  into  his  moustache  unchristened. 

"  If  you  mean  to  brave  me  out,  your  journey  may  be 
a  much  farther  and  a  much  quicker  one,"  he  said  after  a 
pause.  "  Mistakes  have  been  made  before  now,  and 
explained  afterwards." 

"  Mistake  and  murder  are  both  spelt  with  an  M,"  I 
«4 


210         IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

said  recklessly.  "  But  a  murdered  Englishman  is  not 
by  any  means  easy  to  explain  away." 

A  long  tense  silence  followed.  He  broke  it  by  ask- 
ing abruptly,  seeking  to  catch  me  unawares: 

"  What's  this  I  hear  about  your  love  for  the  Princess 
Christina  ?  " 

"  How  on  earth  can  I  know  what  your  spies  or  my 
enemies  tell  you  ?"  I  replied,  not  for  a  moment  off  my 
guard. 

"  Do  you  dream  of  making  her  your  wife?  " 

"  Hasn't  she  promised  to  marry  the  Duke  Sergius  ?  " 

"  Is  it  true  that  you  love  her  ?  " 

"  If  it  were  you  are  scarcely  the  man  to  whom  I 
should  bring  such  a  confidence/' 

"  What's  your  object  here  in  Sofia  ?  " 

"  To  be  allowed  to  mind  my  own  business." 

"  What  is  that  business,  as  you  call  it  ?" 

"  My  own  concern,"  I  retorted  as  sharply  as  I  could 
rap  out  the  words.  It  was  as  clear  as  daylight  that  I 
had  touched  him  with  my  threat,  or  he  would  never 
continue  to  question  me.  I  was  winning. 

"  What  does  your  Government  want  ?  "  he  asked, 
after  a  pause  to  recover  from  his  chagrin  at  my  former 
replies. 

"  How  should  I  know — except  to  have  their  subjects 
left  unmolested  ?  "  I  was  determined  to  rub  this  in, 
and  I  could  see  he  relished  this  last  rub  no  better  than 
the  first. 

"  If  you  refuse  to  answer  my  questions  you  leave 
me  but  one  alternative,"  he  threatened. 

"  Take  it,"  I  answered  lightly.  "  You  take  it,  of 
course,  with  your  eyes  open." 

"  You  have  been  engaged  in  a  conspiracy  against  the 
Russian  influence?" 


MY  ARREST  211 

"  I  have  been  engaged  in  that  conspiracy  carried  on 
In  the  name  of  a  Woman,  if  that's  what  you  mean. 
And,  as  you  are  perfectly  aware,  with  not  only  your 
consent,  but  approval  and  encouragement." 

"You  have  been  working  secretly  for  another  ob- 
ject," he  cried  angrily. 

"  Are  you  accusing  the  Princess  Christina  of  treach- 
ery?" 

"  Your  tongue  is  as  skilful  in  fence  as  your  sword," 
he  said,  smiling  grimly.  "  But  you  know  my  meaning 
perfectly." 

"  Then  pack  me  off  to  Tirnova — if  you  think  you 
have  proof  to  prove  the  unprovable  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  show  your  hand  to  the  rest  of  Europe.  No,  nov 
General  Kolfort,"  I  said,  smiling  and  shaking  my  head, 
as  though  the  thing  were  no  more  than  a  jest,  "  that 
cock  won't  fight,  and  you  know  it." 

"  I  regard  you  and  could  deal  with  you  as  a  renegade 
Bulgarian  officer  conspiring  against  your  Prince;  a 
crime  that  merits  imprisonment." 

"  Very  good  and  plausible,  no  doubt — were  it  not  for 
the  precaution  that  I  have  taken  to  let  people  in  Lon- 
don know  differently.  But  if  that's  to  be  your  line, 
we  shall  have  the  gaols  pretty  full  here,  and  you  and  I, 
General,  will  be  able  to  resume  our  interesting  confer- 
ences, hobnobbing  in  one  of  them  on  more  equal  terms 
than  here ;  "  and  I  wagged  my  head  at  him  again. 

The  taunt  enraged  him.  His  eyes  flashed  fire,  and 
a  flush  of  wrath  tinged  his  dried,  wrinkled,  parchment 
cheeks.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  and  sounded  the  bell  on 
his  table  furiously. 

"  I  will  put  your  devil-may-care  humour  to  the  test. 
You  shall  go  to  Tirnova." 

"  As  you  please,"  I  answered,  surprised  now  in  my 


212          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

turn,  for  I  had  not  thought  he  would  dare  to  push  mat- 
ters to  extremes.  "  I  will  tell  you  one  thing  My  arrest 
will  be  the  signal  for  that  despatch  to  be  forwarded. 
If  I  do  not  go  to  Tirnova,  that  will  not  go  to  London." 

"  I  care  nothing  for  your  Government/'  he  exclaimed, 
all  self-control  gone  in  his  anger.  "  They  dare  do 
nothing,  even  if  they  would." 

At  that  moment  an  officer  entered  in  response  to  the 
bell. 

"Arrest  the  Count  Benderoff,"  cried  the  General, 
pointing  at  me  a  finger  that  trembled  with  rage. 
"  Give  up  your  sword,  sir.  You  are  a  traitor,  un- 
worthy to  bear  it." 

"  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  I  said  desperately. 
"  The  man  who  lays  a  hand  on  me  may  look  to  him- 
self." 

"Call  in  your  men,  Captain.  If  he  resists,  shoot 
him,"  said  the  stern  old  man  grimly,  and  in  the  mo- 
ments of  waiting  we  looked  at  each  other  in  silent 
defiance.  Then  came  the  tramp  ot  men  and  the  clash 
of  arms  in  the  room  without,  and  a  file  of  soldiers 
marched  in. 

"  I  must  ask  you  for  your  sword,  Count  Benderoff," 
said  the  officer,  quietly  and  courteously.  "  You  will 
see  resistance  is  useless." 

For  a  moment  I  still  resisted  and  refused. 

"  I  beg  you  to  save  trouble,"  he  said  again. 

"  I  will  not,"  I  cried  furiously.  "  If  I  am  to  be  mur- 
dered, it  shall  be  done  here,  in  the  presence  of  my 
murderer  ;  "  and  I  set  my  back  to  the  wall  and  whipped 
out  my  sword. 

"  Shoot  him  down ! "  shouted  the  infuriated  old  man 
to  the  soldiers,  who  levelled  their  guns  dead  at  me; 
"  Now,  will  you  give  up  your  sword  ? '' 


MY  ARREST  213 

"  No,  I'll  die  first,  you  butcher  !  "  I  exclaimed,  set- 
ting my  teeth. 

"  Do  your  duty,  Captain,"  said  the  inflexible  old 
martinet. 

"  Count  Benderoff,  let  me  make  another  request,"  he 
said,  daring  even  the  General's  displeasure  in  his  re- 
luctance to  give  the  command. 

"  No  ;  you  shall  butcher  me  here." 

A  moment  of  terrible  strain  followed,  and  then  in 
the  room  without  the  sounds  of  some  confusion  were 
heard,  and  an  exclamation  of  surprise  from  one  or  two 
of  the  men  there.  Quick,  light  steps  fled  across  to  the 
room  where  we  stood. 

"  Shut  that  door,"  cried  the  General. 

But  the  order  was  too  late,  and  the  Princess  Chris- 
tina came  rushing  in,  her  face  deathly  white  with  alarm 
at  what  she  saw,  while  with  the  quickness  of  thought 
she  placed  herself  between  me  and  the  soldiers  who 
covered  me  with  their  muskets. 


CHAPTER  XX 

A  WARNING 

THE  Princess  looked  magnificent  in  the  fire  of  anger 
which  succeeded  her  alarm,  as  she  turned  to  the  old 
Kolfort  for  an  explanation. 

"  I  presume  you  will  scarcely  order  your  soldiers  to 
shoot  me,"  she  said,  facing  him  grandly,  her  eyes 
flashing. 

I  slipped  my  sword  back  into  its  scabbard,  and  the 
General  made  a  peremptory  sign  to  the  Captain  to 
withdraw  his  men. 

We  waited  in  silence  while  the  order  was  given,  and 
the  men  filed  out,  followed  by  the  Captain. 

"  Remain  in  the  ante-room,"  said  the  General. 

"  You  mistake  me  greatly,  General  Kolfort,  if  you 
think  your  soldiers  will  be  needed  for  work  like  this," 
cried  the  Princess.  "  Pray  what  is  the  explanation  of 
what  I  saw  when  I  arrived  ?  " 

I  thought  I  could  best  give  that,  and  said  : 

"  General  Kolfort  had  arrested  me,  and  when  I  re- 
fused to  give  up  my  sword  had  ordered  these  men  of 
his  to  shoot  me." 

"  Is  this  possible  ?  "  she  cried,  her  indignation  flaming 
in  her  face.  "  And  yet  of  course  it  is.  I  have  heard 
within  the  last  few  minutes  of  what  was  done  last 
night  and  of  this  visit  of  yours,  Count  Benderoff,  and 
I  hurried  here,  fearing  mischief.  Thank  Heaven,  I 
arrived  in  time  ;  but  I  did  not  dream  such  an  infamous 
act  would  ever  be  attempted." 
214 


A  WARNING  215 

"  Infamous  is  a  strong  word,  Princess,"  said  Kolfort 
sternly. 

"  I  use  it  because  I  can  find  no  stronger,"  was  the 
quick,  spirited  retort.  "  By  what  right,  and  in  whose 
name,  do  you  contemplate  such  an  outrage?" 

"  The  General  declared  that  I  was  a  renegade  officer 
plotting  against  the  reigning  Prince,  and  that  I  there- 
fore deserved  imprisonment  in  the  fortress  of  Tirnova. 
The  General  himself  being,  of  course,  so  zealous  a  loy- 
alist, the  thought  that  anyone  should  so  conspire  was 
naturally  repugnant  to  him." 

I  threw  as  much  irony  into  my  tone  as  I  could,  and 
ended  with  an  intentionally  aggravating  and  somewhat 
insolent  sneer.  I  wished  to  put  as  ugly  a  complexion 
as  possible  on  his  conduct. 

"  The  matter  is  one  which  you  and  I  had  better  dis- 
cuss in  private,  Princess,"  said  the  old  man,  who  was 
now  fast  recovering  his  habitual  self-restraint. 

"Why  in  private?" 

"  Because  I  prefer  it,  Princess." 

"  I  see  no  reason.  The  Count  is  fully  aware  of  all 
our  matters,  is  one  of  my  most  trusted  advisers  and 
friends, -and  his  welfare  and  safety  touch  me  very 
closely.  The  matter  can  be  settled  here  and  now." 

"  You  are  presuming  much " 

"  I  do  not  understand  the  word  presumption  in  such 
a  case,  and  from  you,  General  Kolfort,"  cried  Christina, 
proudly,  "  and  I  will  not  hear  it." 

"If  your  Highness  has  no  further  need  of  my  serv- 
ices, nor  of  the  influence  of  my  Government  in  your 
affairs,  you  have  but  to  say  so,"  he  said  in  a  tone  of 
calculated  menace.  But  he  didn't  frighten  my  brave 
and  staunch  Princess,  and  she  answered  him  in  a  tone 
of  queenly  dignity. 


216          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  If  your  services  can  go  no  higher  than  the  cold- 
blooded  murder  of  my  friends  and  adherents,  I  shall  be 
glad  for  your  Government  to  release  you  from  a  posi- 
tion that  you  fill  in  a  manner  so  unworthy  of  Russia 
and  so  bitterly  hateful  to  myself." 

He  had  drawn  a  blank  in  the  attempt  to  intimidate 
her,  and  was  quick  to  see  and  wily  enough  to  aban- 
don it. 

"Yet  I  have  not  been  unmindful  hitherto  of  your 
interests,"  he  answered. 

"  Hitherto  they  do  not  appear  to  have  clashed  with 
your  own  plans  and  private  animosities,"  she  flashed, 
with  a  sting  that  festered  at  once. 

"  This  is  rather  a  matter  of  your  private  feelings 
than  mine,"  he  said,  with  a  significant  glance  in  my 
direction. 

"  I  will  not  affect  to  misunderstand  you,"  she  an- 
swered readily,  with  mounting  colour.  "  Our  interview 
yesterday  makes  that  unnecessary.  That,  as  I  read  it, 
is  the  real  reason  at  the  bottom  of  this  last  act  of  yours. 
I  gave  my  word  then  to  marry  the  Duke  Sergius,  and 
I  would  have  kept  it  at  all  hazards.  But  I  did  not 
mean,  and  will  not  suffer,  that  my  marriage  with  the 
Duke  should  be  the  death-sentence  upon  Count 
Benderoff." 

"  You  '  would  have  kept '  your  word.  Do  you 

mean ?  "  He  paused  ;  and  how  I  hung  upon  her 

reply  may  be  imagined. 

"  I  mean  that,  as  the  Duke  has  involved  himself  in 
a  quarrel,  and  been  seriously  wounded  for  his  pains,  I 
cannot  well  become  his  wife  the  day  after  to-morrow." 

"  There  must  be  no  delay,"  he  retorted  quickly. 

"  Delay ! "  she  cried,  her  eyes  flashing  again  bril- 
liantly. "  Do  you  think  if  you  had  murdered  my 


A  WARNING  217 

friend  here,  or  if  you  dared  to  thrust  him  into  a  prison, 
that  I  would  ever  make  a  marriage  that  at  the  best 
must  be  hateful  to  me  ?  " 

"  This  friendship  of  yours  threatens  to  be  exceed- 
ingly inconvenient ;  and  if  you  mean  to  allow  it  to  in- 
terfere with  urgent  matters  of  State,  we  may  as  well 
abandon  all  our  plans,  or  look  for  some  other  means 
of  carrying  them  out." 

"  If  a  policy  of  murder  is  your  only  alternative,  I 
agree  with  you,"  she  exclaimed,  taking  up  his  challenge 
instantly.  "  I  will  not  have  the  steps  of  my  throne 
running  with  blood  shed  by  Russia." 

He  bit  his  lip  in  chagrin  and  manifest  embarrass- 
ment. 

He  might  well  be  embarrassed.  He  had  fired  his  two 
big  guns — a  threat  first  to  withdraw  from  her  cause  and 
then  to  throw  her  over — and  had  found  them  both 
burst  at  the  breech.  A  long  pause  followed,  in  which 
I  watched  his  face  closely.  He  appeared  to  come  sud- 
denly to  a  fresh  decision,  and  changed  his  manner 
accordingly. 

"  Well,  I  am  sorry  to  have  distressed  you,  Princess. 
What  is  it  you  wish?" 

"  I  will  not  have  Count  Benderoff,  or  any  of  my 
friends,  subjected  to  interference  at  the  hands  of  your 
agents.  Their  personal  freedom  and  safety  are  my 
special  charge." 

"The  Count  is  at  liberty  to  leave,"  he  replied  on  the 
instant,  in  his  more  customary  curt,  decisive  tone. 
"  And  I  trust  his  future  actions  will  not  bring  him 
again  in  conflict  with  me.  He  may  take  this  as  a 
warning." 

"  I  have  done  nothing  in  this  case,  and  need  no 
warning,"  I  said  warmly.  "If  you  allege  anything 


218          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

against  me,  I  am  prepared  to  take  the  consequences, 
and  demand  to  stand  my  trial." 

"This  is  no  occasion  that  calls  for  mock  heroics,"  he 
sneered.  "In  my  opinion  you  should  be  in  Tirnova; 
but  the  Princess  has  thought  well  to  interfere  in  your 
behalf,  and  I  bow  to  her -wishes — for  the  present.  That 
is  all." 

"  For  the  second  time  I  owe  my  safety,  and  prob- 
ably my  life,  to  you,  Princess,"  I  said,  advancing  to 
her.  "  I  have  no  words  to  thank  you." 

"  If  you  wish  to  show  your  thanks  you  had  better 
stop  that  despatch  you  told  me  of,"  interposed  the 
General,  not  without  a  note  of  concern  in  his  voice. 

"  There  is  no  need  for  it  if  I  am  to  remain  at  liberty," 
I  answered,  half  disposed  to  smile. 

"  I  am  ashamed  there  should  have  been  this  need  foi 
my  interference,  Count,"  said  the  Princess,  looking  at 
me  and  smiling. 

"  I  trust  that  there  may  come  a  chance  for  me  tc 
prove  my  gratitude,"  I  replied,  scarce  daring  to  meet 
her  eyes ;  and  with  that  I  withdrew. 

As  I  passed  through  the  ante-chamber  I  was  stopped 
by  the  Captain,  whose  men  remained  there  on  guard. 

"  I  hope  I  am  to  let  you  pass,  Count,"  he  said  most 
courteously. 

"  General  Kolfort  has  this  moment  said  I  am  at 
liberty  to  go." 

"  You  know  how  strict  our  discipline  is.  Will  you 
wait  while,  as  a  matter  of  form,  I  obtain  his  confirma- 
tion?" 

"  Most  willingly,"  I  asserted.  He  went  to  the  Gen- 
eral's room,  and  in  a  moment  returned  smiling  and 
holding  out  his  hand. 

"  I  am  delighted.     I  know  of  you,  of  course,  and, 


A  WARNING  219 

believe  me,  I  have  never  passed  through  a  more  em- 
barrassing minute  in  my  life  than  that  in  his  room." 
His  manner  was  so  unaffectedly  frank  and  friendly  that 
I  shook  his  hand  cordially,  and  he  came  with  me  down 
the  stairs  and  out  into  the  street. 

"  I  heard  an  account  of  last  night's  proceedings  from 
one  who  was  at  Metzler's  house,  Count ;  I  hope  you 
do  not  judge  us  all  by  such  an  instance.  I  have  just 
heard  also  what  occurred  this  morning  ; "  and  in  his 
tone  and  manner  he  contrived  to  convey  a  genuine 
compliment  to  my  skill.  "  The  Duke  is  well  punished." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  how  he  progresses,"  I  said, 
as  my  man  brought  my  horse  up. 

"  I  hear  that  you  have  an  excellent  shooting  gallery 
at  your  house,  and  that  you  are  a  remarkable  shot." 

"  Will  you  care  to  come  and  see  it  ?  " 

"  Immensely,  and  perhaps  to  try  the  foils  with 
you  ;  "  and  his  face  lighted  as  though  I  were  granting 
him  a  great  favour  when  I  asked  him  to  dine  with  me. 
I  rode  off,  thankful  indeed  that  I  was  still  free,  specu- 
lating whether  I  could  in  some  way  attach  this  Rus- 
sian to  me ;  and,  what  was  still  more  important,  won- 
dering what  lay  behind  the  sudden  change  in  old 
Kolfort's  manner,  and  whether  he  was  concocting  some 
further  subtle  plan  against  me. 

Before  I  reached  my  house  I  had  resolved  on  an 
important  step,  as  the  result  of  these  later  develop- 
ments. After  I  had  sent  to  Zoiloff  to  let  him  know 
what  had  happened,  I  wrote  a  fresh  despatch  to  send 
to  London,  embodying  much  of  what  I  had  before 
written,  and  giving  a  brief  description  of  my  treatment 
at  the  General's  hands.  I  urged  at  greater  length  and 
with  more  insistence  the  desirability  of  steps  being 
taken  immediately  on  the  lines  I  had  suggested,  de- 


220          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

daring  that  there  was  necessity  for  immediate  action  ; 
that  I  believed  a  complete  change  of  front  was  con- 
templated by  General  Kolfort ;  that  the  Foreign  Office 
must  be  prepared  instantly  with  a  successor  to  the 
reigning  Prince — otherwise  a  coup  d'ttat  would  be  car- 
ried out,  which  I  was  convinced  would  result  in  Russia 
being  left  the  complete  master  of  the  position ;  and 
that  the  one  key  to  the  situation  would  be  found  in 
timing  the  Prince's  abdication  with  the  finding  of  a 
successor  who  would  not  -be  Russia's  tool.  And  I 
declared  strongly  in  favour  of  the  Princess  Christina. 

As  soon  as  I  had  finished  it  I  sent  for  my  servant 
Markov,  who  had  been  away  with  me  the  previous 
night,  and  explained  to  him  that  he  was  to  carry  it  to 
Nish,  and  place  it  in  the  hands  of  the  British  consul 
there,  and  at  the  same  time  deliver  a  letter,  which  I 
wrote  to  Lieutenant  Spernow.  This  note  was  to  tell 
him  to  destroy  the  first  despatch. 

"When  you  leave  Nish,"  I  added,  explaining  the 
next  step,  "  you  will  return  to  the  frontier  by  train, 
and  from  there  to  Sofia  you  must  organize  relays  of 
horses  at  distances  of  from  ten  to  twelve  miles,  avoid- 
ing the  main  road  where  possible,  so  that  at  any 
moment  I  can  make  sure  of  a  quick,  clear  journey  from 
here  to  the  frontier.  Spare  no  money  in  the  effort  to 
do  the  work  well  and  quickly.  You  must  have  it  com- 
plete in  four  days  at  the  outside,  three  if  possible. 
Choose  your  agents  with  great  care,  and  give  no  hint 
for  whom  the  work  is  being  done.  If  questions  are 
pressed,  you  can  say  it  is  in  connection  with  a  wager 
between  Russian  officers.  I  trust  you  implicitly, 
Markov,"  I  concluded.  "  And  if  you  serve  me  well  I 
will  give  you  such  a  reward  as  will  make  you  inde- 
pendent for  life." 


A  WARNING  221 

He  assured  me  earnestly  of  his  attachment  to  me, 
and  said  that,  as  he  came  from  that  part  of  the 
country,  he  knew  just  the  people  who  would  do  what 
was  needed.  Then  he  added  a  characteristically  Bul- 
garian touch :  "  They  know  me  well  in  those  parts, 
Count,  and  they  hope  that  some  day  I  shall  settle 
among  them.  I  am  looking  forward  to  being  able  to 
buy  a  small  farm  that  I  know  of  there,  and  marry."  I 
took  the  hint. 

"  Do  this  for  me  well,  and  I  will  buy  the  farm  for 
you." 

"  My  lord  is  generosity  itself !  "  cried  the  fellow,  his 
face  radiant  with  glee,  and  I  knew  I  could  depend  upon 
a  man  of  his  kind  when  his  personal  feelings  and  self- 
interest  were  running  in  double  harness. 

My  object  was,  of  course,  to  prepare  the  means  of 
flight  should  that  become  at  any  moment  imperative ; 
and  such  a  contingency  grew  more  probable  the  more 
closely  I  reflected  upon  what  had  passed  at  my  inter- 
view with  the  General.  And  I  explained  my  views  to 
Zoiloff,  who  came  hurrying  to  me  on  the  receipt  of 
my  letter,  and  told  him  what  I  had  done. 

The  Russian  officer,  Captain  Wolasky,  dined  with 
me,  and  we  spent  an  hour  together  In  the  shooting 
gallery.  I  did  my  utmost  to  create  a  favourable  im- 
pression upon  him,  and  appeared  to  be  very  success- 
ful ;  for  he  expressed  a  warm  wish  that  we  might  see 
more  of  one  another,  and  we  parted  on  particularly 
friendly  terms.  I  was  careful,  of  course,  to  avoid  any 
reference  to  political  matters ;  but  he  himself  let  fall 
enough  to  show  me  that  his  work  in  Sofia  was  exceed- 
ingly distasteful,  and  that  he  had  little  sympathy  with 
Kolfort's  policy,  and  none  at  all  with  his  methods. 

"Russia  must,  of  course,  dominate  the   Balkans; 


222          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

that  is  the  law  of  Nature,"  he  said  once  ;  "  but  I  detest 
a  roundabout  way  of  going  to  a  mark  when  a  straight 
road  could  be  cut  with  ease.  That's  old  Kolfort's  way, 
however.  He's  just  like  a  man  grubbing  in  a  cellar  for 
coals,  and  will  insist  on  having  every  little  bit  of  rub- 
bish through  his  fingers  and  storing  and  binning  it  for 
future  use,  as  if  he  expected  the  day  to  come  when 
rubbish  would  be  worth  more  than  coal,  whereas  one 
vigorous  use  of  the  shovel  would  give  him  all  the  coal 
he  wants  at  once. 

I  was  far  from  displeased  to  find  him  out  of  conceit 
with  the  General,  but  said  nothing. 

"  What  could  have  been  more  abominable  and  dis- 
gusting than  his  treatment  of  you  to-day?"  he  ex- 
claimed, when  my  wine  had  begun  to  heat  him.  "  It's 
that  sort  of  barbarism  that  brings  us  Russians  into 
such  ill-repute.  I  know  what  would  have  happened. 
He  would  have  given  that  order  to  shoot  you  without 
turning  a  hair  and  then  would  have  drawn  up  some 
bogus  report  or  other  about  you  having  made  a  des- 
perate attack  upon  his  life,  and  have  called  upon  me 
to  witness  it.  I  suppose  he  hates  you  for  some  reason, 
and  that's  at  the  bottom  of  it.  There  are  plenty  of 
black  pages  in  his  past,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  You  had  better  not,"  I  answered,  smiling.  I  did 
not  wish  him  to  have  the  after-reflection  that  he  had 
been  talking  too  freely.  If  he  were  inclined  to  give 
me  his  confidence  he  should  not  lack  opportunities  ; 
and  I  pressed  him  warmly,  therefore,  to  come  and  see 
me  frequently. 

He  came  the  next  day  when  Zoiloff  was  with  me, 
and  again  on  the  following  day,  when  Spernow  had  re- 
turned, and  we  encouraged  his  intimacy  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  Zoiloff,  in  the  meantime,  had  made  guarded 


A  WARNING  223 

Inquiries  about  him,  having  at  first  been  disposed  to 
distrust  him  as  a  possible  spy  acting  in  General  Kol- 
fort's  interest.  He  had  found  out  that  he  was  as  gen- 
uine as  he  seemed — a  man  with  no  family  influence  to 
push  his  interests,  of  no  means  of  his  own,  and  con- 
stantly standing  in  his  own  light  because  of  his 
scruples,  and  a  blunt,  rugged  way  of  expressing  them. 

"  A  man  not  to  be  bought,  but  to  be  won,"  declared 
ZoilofT.  "And,  once  won,  to  be  trusted.  He  may  be 
valuable  to  us ;  "  and  so  indeed  the  event  proved. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  fourth  visit  I  noticed  that  he 
was  reserved  and  seemed  preoccupied,  and  while  we 
were  all  going  through  our  practice  in  the  gallery  he 
joined  in  it  with  small  zest.  We  three  were  even 
more  jubilant  than  usual.  We  had  been  pushing  for- 
ward our  preparations  with  the  greatest  energy  and 
activity,  and  Zoiloff  had  declared  to  me  his  belief  that 
in  another  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  we  might  venture  to 
make  the  coup  towards  which  all  our  efforts  were  bent. 
Men  had  been  sounded  in  all  directions,  and  fresh  ad- 
herents had  come  in  in  large  numbers,  and  with  great 
enthusiasm. 

I  myself  had  not  seen  the  Princess  since  the  memor- 
able interview  at  the  General's  house  ;  but  she  knew  of 
all  that  we  were  doing.  The  marriage  had  been  ren- 
dered impossible  for  the  moment  because  the  Duke's 
wound  had  taken  a  turn  for  the  worse,  and  he  lay  bat- 
tling almost  for  life.  We  had  had  no  hint  that  our 
suspicions  of  a  change  of  front  on  Kolfort's  part  had 
any  foundation  ;  and  our  hopes  ran  high  therefore  that, 
after  all,  we  should  yet  carry  things  through  with  a 
dash. 

When  our  fencing  was  over,  I  observed  that  Captain 
Wolasky  hung  about  as  if  waiting  for  Zoiloff  and 


224          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

Spernow  to  go ;  and  I   dropped  them  a  hint  quietly 
that  they  had  better  do  so. 

As  soon  as  we  were  alone,  the  Captain  said  : 
"  I  am  afraid  this  may  be  my  last  visit,  Count." 
"  Oh  no,  I  hope  not.     Why  ?  " 

"You  will  not  betray  my  confidence,  I  am  sure.  I 
have  received  a  hint  that  my  coming  here  is  not  accept- 
able to  those  in  authority — to  old  Kolfort  that  means, 
of  course." 

"  Believe  me,  I  am  genuinely  sorry.  It  cuts  short 
what  I  hoped  would  be  a  pleasant  friendship."  I  spoke 
in  all  sincerity,  for  I  liked  him.  "  But  I  can  under- 
stand your  position." 

"  That  is  not  all,"  he  added,  and  then  hesitated  and 
paused.  I  waited  anxiously.  "  Of  course  I  ought  not 
to  say  anything  to  you,  but  you  have  been  so  exceed- 
ingly friendly.  You  may  have  heard  that  strange  de- 
velopments are  on  foot  ?  " 

"  No,  I  have  heard  nothing."  I  began  to  take 
alarm. 

"  I  am,  of  course,  precluded  from  telling  you  their 
nature  ;  but  I  should  ill  return  your  hospitality  if  I 
were  not  to  give  you  a  word  of  warning.  You  may 
prepare  yourself  for  a  startling  change,  likely  to  in- 
volve very  serious  consequences  to  you  personally — if 
you  remain  in  Sofia  ;  "  and  his  look  said  more  than  his 
words. 

"You  mean,  I  am  in  some  danger?" 
"  Very  grave  danger,  Count,  and  not  you  only." 
"  I  may  not  ask  you  whom  you  mean  ?" 
"  No,  I  am  afraid  not.     But  there  is  one  person  in 
whom  report  says  you  take  a   deep  interest.     I  beg 
your  pardon  for  even  referring  to  such  a  matter.     But 
the  danger  is  very  grave  and — well,  the  frontier  is  very 


A  WARNING  225 

near,  and  not  yet  closed.  I  can  say  no  more,  and,  in- 
deed, I  am  sure  I  need  not." 

"  You  have  acted  the  part  of  a  true  friend,  Captain. 
How  long  will  the  frontier  be  open  ?  May  I  ask 
that  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  am  expecting  orders  at  any  moment  -to 
guard  a  certain  line  of  it,  and  the  cordon  will  be  very 
securely  drawn." 

This  was  news  indeed,  and  for  long  after  he  had  left 
me  I  sat  brooding  over  it  deep  in  thought.  I  was  right 
after  all,  it  seemed  ;  and  the  cunning  old  Russian 
spider  had  woven  a  fresh  web. 

15 


CHAPTER  XXI 

FIGHT    OR    FLIGHT  ? 

WITH  the  following  day  came  startling  confirmation 
of  Captain  Wolasky's  warning.  While  I  was  with  the 
regiment  a  letter  was  brought  to  me  from  the  Prince 
requesting  me  to  wait  upon  him. 

I  found  him  labouring  under  considerable  excite- 
ment, pacing  the  floor  restlessly  and  awaiting  me  im- 
patiently. 

"  I  thought  you  were  never  coming,  Count,"  he  said, 
irritably.  "  There  seems  to  be  no  one  now  on  whom 
I  can  rely." 

"  I  came  the  instant  I  received  your  command,  your 
Highness." 

"  Then  there  must  have  been  some  strange  delay  in 
giving  my  message.  I  cannot  understand  it." 

"  Is  there  anything  in  which  I  can  serve  you  ?  " 

"I  wish  to  Heaven  you  could  get  me  out  of  this 
wretched  kingdom  honourably.  That  would  serve 
me."  The  words  burst  from  him  in  obedience  to  an 
irresistible  impulse.  "  I  am  sick  and  weary  to  death 
of  it  all ;  "  and  he  continued  his  restless  pacing  for 
three  lengths  of  the  room.  He  stopped  abruptly  and 
threw  himself  into  a  chair  close  to  me. 

"  Sit  here,"  he  cried,  pointing  to  the  chair  next  him. 
"  I  want  to  speak  frankly  to  you."  He  paused  again, 

and  then   laying  his  hand  on  my  arm   said  very  ear- 
226 


FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT?  227 

nestly  :  "  My  friend,  you  are  playing  a  deadly  game — 
and,  mark  me,  you  are  going  to  be  defeated." 

"Your  Highness  means ?"  I  asked  steadily. 

"  That  your  ideal  is  magnificent  and  worthy  of  you, 
full  worthy  of  any  Englishman — but  impossible." 

"  I  am  flattered  to  hear  such  words  from  you,"  I 
replied  cautiously,  but  he  caught  me  up  and  answered 
sharply  : 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  Count,  don't  answer  me  with 
any  courtly  phrasings  that  come  tripping  off  the  lips 
and  mean  nothing  when  spoken.  I  don't  ask  you  for 
your  confidence,  unless  you  care  to  give  it  to  me.  I'll 
tell  you  what  I  know  about  you  first." 

"  The  Countess  Bokara  has  no  doubt " 

"  Yes,  of  course  she  has ;  she  has  told  me  all  she 
knows,  or  guesses,  or  suspects,  or  whatever  it  may  be. 
But  while  it  was  only  what  she  said  I  did  not  think  of 
seeing  you  or  interfering  with  you.  But  I  have  learnt 
it  now  from  another  source — one  vastly  more  impor- 
tant. And  that's  what  I  mean  when  I  tell  you  that 
you  are  steering  straight  for  the  rocks  and  are  dead 
certain  to  be  shipwrecked.  Listen  to  me.  You  are 
in  love  with  the  Princess,  and  naturally  enough  people 
credit  you  with  the  intention  of  trying  to  climb  into 
the  throne  by " 

"  It  is  monstrous,"  I    cried,  unable  to  keep  silent. 

"  I  hope  your  repudiation  comes  from  your  heart — 
I  hope  it  for  your  own  sake ;  for  there  is  no  happiness 
under  such  a  crown  as  I  wear,  Count  Benderoff,"  said 
the  Prince  bitterly.  "  Men  think  of  the  dazzle,  the 
pomp,  and  the  grandeur,  the  magnificence,  and  forget 
the  dangers,  the  cares,  the  awful  loneliness.  If  you 
seek  happiness,  seek  it  not  in  the  glitter  of  a  king's 
garb,  but  in  the  frank  enjoyment  of  true  manliness. 


228          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

A  monarch  has  mighty  opportunities  of  making  others 
happy,  but  himself  is  doomed  to  sorrow  and  solitude. 
There  is  no  solitude  that  this  life  can  know  half  so 
awful  in  its  depression  as  that  which  hedges  a  king. 
You  seek  advice,  you  find  intrigue  ;  you  hunger  for 
the  truth,  and  they  feed  you  with  the  bitter  apples  of 
flattery ;  you  yearn  for  the  sweet  counsel  of  a  friend, 
and  you  meet  the  tempered  phrasings  of  a  courtier. 
Your  every  word  is  weighed  in  the  balance  of  your 
hearer's  self-interest,  your  every  thought  is  caught 
still-born  and  distorted,  your  every  action  is  judged 
by  the  sordid  standard  of  some  intrigue,  and  every 
motive  twisted  and  dissected,  and  analysed  and  mal- 
igned, till  your  very  face  becomes  a  mask  to  hide  your 
mind,  lest  your  enemies  should  use  your  looks  to  help 
the  plans  which  their  malice  is  spreading  under  your 
very  eyes.  God,  it  is  unbearable." 

I  listened  in  silence  to  this  outburst. 

"  You  wonder  why  I  speak  like  this  to  you.  I  can 
read  it  in  your  eyes — for  am  I  not  trained  to  find  the 
truth  in  the  face  and  hear  the  lies  in  the  voice  ?  Well, 
I  would  warn  you,  and  more,  I  would  warn  that  good, 
true,  noble  woman  whom  you  love.  Time  was  when 
I  hated  her,  and  believed  all  the  harm  that  was  said  of 
her ;  but  now  that  I  have  learnt  her  real  object — to 
act,  not  with,  but  against,  the  bloodsuckers  who  seek 
to  devour  the  land — I  know  her  goodness  and  sincerity. 
But  the  movement  must  fail.  The  Russians  know  of 
it,  General  Kolfort  best  of  all,  and  he  has  already  taken 
his  measures  to  thwart  you  all.  And  you  will  find  his 
hand  a  heavy  one,  Count.  If  the  Princess  Christina 
had  succeeded  in  gaining  the  throne  on  her  own  terms 
— I  mean  by  means  of  the  men  you  and  those  with  you 
were  seeking  to  train  as  her  adherents — she  must  still 


FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT?  229 

have  failed  in  her  object,  and  have  doomed  herself  to 
a  lot  as  miserable  and  hopeless  as  mine  has  been.  But 
Kolfort  does  not  mean  her  to  succeed  ;  and,  I  warn 
you,  the  measures  of  prevention  will  be  sharp,  sudden, 
and  terrible  in  their  severity." 

I  sat  amazed  and  disconcerted  at  his  words. 

"  You  wonder  how  I  know  all  this,  and  set  it  down 
to  the  Countess  Bokara.  Of  course,  she  has  told  me; 
but  I  have  my  news  straight  from  General  Kolfort 
himself.  You  little  know  Bulgaria  or  the  Bulgarians, 
or  you  would  have  seen  the  consummate  hopelessness 
of  trying  to  avoid  treachery.  Every  man  you  have 
added  to  your  band  has  been  a  fresh  centre  of  probable 
treachery.  The  rule  here  is  each  man  for  himself  ;  and 
some  one  of  the  men  with  you  was  bound  to  ask  him- 
self in  time  whether  he  could  not  gain  more  for  him- 
self by  carrying  the  news  to  the  Russians  than  by 
standing  true  to  a  desperate  cause  like  your  Princess's. 
Someone  has  betrayed  you  ;  and  the  betrayal  began 
when  your  love  was  known.  They  do  not  believe  in 
disinterested  love  in  this  country,  Count.  The  peas- 
ants may,  but  no  one  else.  And  when  that  secret 
leaked  out,  General  Kolfort's  task  of  suborning  a 
traitor  became  easy  enough.  If  I  knew  the  scoun- 
drel's name  I  would  give  it  you,  that  you  might  cut 
his  heart  and  tongue  out  for  his  cowardice.  But,  be- 
lieve me,  everything  is  known — everything.  And  your 
knowledge  of  that  grim  Russian  leader  may  tell  you 
what  to  expect."  He  spoke  with  all  the  earnestness 
of  a  troubled  friend  ;  and  I  could  not  doubt  him. 

"  When  did  your  Highness  learn  this  ? "  I  asked 
after  a  pause. 

"  Yesterday.  Three  days  ago,  the  General  came  to 
me  with  proposals  that  showed  he  had  some  fresh 


230          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

plans  in  mind.  He  was  all  for  my  remaining  here  as 
reigning  Prince,  and  offered  to  concede  more  than  half 
the  conditions  of  freedom  of  action  I  had  before  de- 
manded. It  was  a  pity  to  disturb  the  country  by  a 
change  of  rulers  ;  the  country  was  thriving  under  my 
wise  rule  ;  the  people  were  growing  more  contented, 
and  the  malcontents  could  be  tiverawed  ;  the  advan- 
tages of  my  rule  were  appreciated  in  St.  Petersburg, 
and  the  basis  of  achieving  mutual  ends  might  prob- 
ably be  arranged  with  honour  to  me  and  substantial 
benefit  to  the  country;  and  so  on  for  an  hour  or  more 
he  prated.  I  asked  the  reason  for  the  change  of  tone, 
and  he  hummed  and  hesitated,  and,  in  a  word,  lied.  I 
said  I  must  have  time  to  think  ;  and  he  gave  me  till 
yesterday.  Last  night  he  came  with  his  tale  prepared 
— that  the  Princess  was  conspiring  for  an  end  hostile 
to  both  my  aims  and  those  of  Russia ;  that  you  were 
her  right  hand  and  had  been  set  on  by  her  to  fight  and 
kill  the  Duke  Sergius,  but  had  succeeded  only  in  wound- 
ing him  ;  that  your  plot  was  to  use  the  Russian  in- 
fluence to  gain  the  throne  and  then  yourself  marry  her 
and  reign  as  her  consort  ;  and  to  gain  this  end  you 
were  both  prepared  to  throw  the  country  into  the 
throes  of  a  civil  war  which  God  forfend,  and  so  on,  till 
I  was  sick  to  death  of  his  intriguing  slanders.  I  tried 
to  lure  him  on  to  tell  me  what  he  proposed  for  you, 
but  he  contented  himself  with  saying  he  had  all  but 
completed  what  I  might  rely  upon  would  be  effectual 
measures  of  precaution." 

"  May  I  venture  to  ask  how  your  Highness  answered 
him  ?  " 

"  How  should  I  answer  him  but  as  I  have  always 
answered?  That  I  would  never  bend  the  knee  to 
Russia  ;  that  I  did  not  believe  St.  Petersburg  would 


FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT?  231 

ever  sanction  any  such  arrangement  as  he  outlined  ; 
and  that  if  what  he  stated  of  the  objects  of  the  Prin- 
cess were  true,  I  would  be  the  first  to  abdicate  in  her 
favour  and  join  with  her  in  her  efforts,  shouldering  a 
musket  if  need  be,  in  the  ranks  of  the  men  to  fight  for 
her ;  and  that  would  I,  Count,  if  I  saw  the  faintest 
gleam  of  a  hope  of  success.  But  there  is  not  a  chance, 
no  jot  or  tittle  of  hope." 

"  Now  that  we  have  been  betrayed,  that  is." 

"  Before  the  betrayal  the  chances  were  not  one  in  a 
hundred  ;  now  they  are  not  one  in  a  million.  There  is 
but  one  course  for  you  and  for  her — flight,  and  at  once." 

"  She  will  not  desert  the  men  who  have  stood  by  her. 
Nor  shall  I,"  I  answered  firmly. 

"  As  you  will.  The  Russian  preparations  are  all  but 
complete ;  Russian  troops  are  being  hurried  to  the 
Black  Sea;  the  slightest  sign  or  movement  on  your 
part  will  be  seized  on  as  the  pretext  for  measures  as 
drastic  as  Russian  measures  commonly  are  ;  and  you 
yourselves,  you  two  in  particular  and  all  associated  as 
leaders  with  you,  will  be  treated  you  can  guess  how. 
Russia  knows  how  to  treat  her  friends  badly  enough  ; 
but  no  one  ever  yet  accused  her  of  not  dealing  effec- 
tively with  her  enemies.  You  have  been  blind,  Count ; 
but  then  a  man  in  love  is  seldom  anything  else." 

It  was  useless  to  pretend  that  I  was  not  vastly 
affected  by  what  the  Prince  told  me.  I  read  in  it  ruin 
and  worse  than  ruin  to  everything,  and  my  heart  sank 
at  the  prospect  before  Christina. 

"Your  warnings,  and  more,  the  kindly  motives  that 
have  prompted  them,  have  moved  me  deeply,  your 
Highness." 

"  They  had  better  move  you  out  of  Bulgaria.  But 
that  is  your  personal  affair.  I  have  told  you,  because 


232          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

of  the  service  you  rendered  to  one  who  is  now,  I  regret, 
your  enemy." 

"Your  Highness  knows  of  the  attempt  on  the  Prin- 
cess Christina's  life,"  I  asked. 

"  To  my  shame  and  sorrow,  I  do.  She  must  not 
think  that  I  would  have  countenanced  such  a  thing  for 
a  moment,"  he  said  in  tone  of  deep  pain. 

"  She  does  not,"  I  assured  him. 

"  That  you  thwarted  it  is  another  service  you  have 
rendered  me,  which  adds  to  my  eagerness  to  help  you 
both  to  safety.  But  even  on  the  throne  here  I  am 
powerless  to  help  my  friends.  Ay,  and  even  my  friends 
are  driven  to  inflict  deeper  wounds  upon  me  than  my 
enemies."  His  manner  was  that  of  a  weak,  hopeless, 
dejected,  sorrow-broken  man.  "You  have  spoken  of 
that  deed,  and  I  will  tell  you.  Since  I  knew  of  it,  I 
have  refused  to  see  the  Countess.  I  cannot  see  her 
again  ;  and  I  learn  that  in  the  mad  hope  of  helping  my 
fallen  cause  she  has  been  in  communication  with  Kol- 
fort,  leading  him  to  think  that  I  could  be  induced  to 
remain  here.  And  I  declare  to  you,  Count,  I  do  not 
pass  an  hour,  day  or  night,  that  is  not  care-ridden  by 
the  fear  of  some  yet  more  desperate  deed  she  may 
attempt — the  consequences  of  which  must  fall  on  my 
head.  Every  step  she  takes  adds  to  either  my  danger 
or  my  disrepute.  And  I  can  do  nothing."  He  wrung 
his  hands  in  weak  unavailing  despair. 

I  rose  to  leave;  and,  looking  up  half-eagerly,  he 
asked  : 

"  And  will  the  British  Government  do  nothing?" 
The  question  was  so  absolutely  inconsequential,  and 
suggested  motives  behind  it  so  utterly  at  variance  with 
his  attitude  and  words,  that  I  was  surprised.  At  one 
moment  he  was  declaiming  against  the  miseries  of  his 


FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT?  233 

position,  and  yet  now  he  was  clinging  to  the  throne, 
like  a  drowning  man  to  a  spar,  with  a  vague  reasonless 
hope  that  even  England  would  risk  a  war  with  Russia 
to  maintain  him  upon  it. 

"  I  have  not  the  remotest  right  to  say  a  word  on  that 
matter,  your  Highness  ;  but  personally  I  do  not  think 
for  a  moment  that  any  interference  can  be  looked  for." 

"  Then  all  is  indeed  lost !  "  he  exclaimed,  throwing 
up  his  hands,  and  sighing  heavily.  "  Farewell,  Count, 
let  it  be  farewell ;  and  do  your  utmost  to  snatch  that 
brave  girl  you  love  from  the  ruin  that  threatens  to 
overwhelm  her." 

I  needed  no  words  of  his  to  spur  me  to  such  an  ef- 
fort, and  as  soon  as  I  left  the  Palace,  in  grievous  trouble 
at  all  that  I  had  heard,  I  sent  a  message  for  Zoiloff  to 
come  to  me  at  once,  and  hurried  home  to  try  and  strike 
out  some  line  of  action  to  meet  this  most  dire  emer- 
gency. 

My  impulse  was  to  fight — to  strike  our  blow  without 
a  day's  delay  ;  to  take  the  Prince  at  his  word — if  he 
had  meant  it  ;  to  get  him  to  abdicate  on  the  very  next 
day,  and  have  the  Princess  proclaimed  ruler  in  his 
stead.  Our  preparations  were  not  ready,  and  thecoup 
would  be  much  less  effective  than  if  we  could  have  had 
time  to  complete  everything.  But  then  neither  was 
General  Kolfort.  He  had  not  openly  abandoned 
Christina's  cause,  and  might  be  half  afraid  to  oppose 
her,  if  once  on  the  throne,  and  without  the  aid  of  the 
troops  which  the  Prince  had  told  me  were  being  hur- 
ried up  to  his  support.  For  him  to  cause  a  civil  war 
was  to  take  a  step  in  the  face  of  Europe  which  might 
cost  him  dear,  and  force  the  other  Powers  to  interfere 
— the  one  step  that  Russia  dreaded. 

Unprepared  as  we  were,  and  much  as  we  had  to  gain 


234          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

by  a  few  days'  delay,  Kolfort  had  much  more  to  gain. 
When  once  his  grip  had  tightened  in  the  way  he  pro- 
jected, there  would  not  remain  a  vestige  of  hope  for 
us.  Clearly,  then,  if  we  meant  to  fight,  we  must  do 
it  at  once. 

It  must  be  fight  or  flight. 

In  regard  to  the  latter,  I  found  Markov  had  returned, 
and  he  assured  me  he  had  carried  out  my  plans  to  the 
letter — had  even  improved  upon  them,  for  he  had  told 
me  he  had  arranged  for  the  last  stage  of  the  journey 
to  be  by  a  very  slightly  known  route  to  the  frontier. 

"  I  did  this,"  he  explained,  "  because  I  heard  rumours 
of  certain  changes  as  to  the  guardianship  of  the  frontier 
roads,  and  I  thought  it  well  to  choose  the  route  which 
would  be  the  least  difficult  in  case  of  trouble." 

"  You  have  done  well,  Markov,  and  have  earned  your 
reward,"  I  said. 

"  You  will  let  me  stay  with  you  to  the  last,  my 
Lord  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  wish  it  above  all  things,  for  I  need  faithful  men 
about  me." 

When  Zoiloff  came  I  explained  my  views,  putting 
bluntly  the  alternative  of  fight  or  flight,  and  he  was  all 
for  fighting.  But  he  shook  his  head  gloomily  at  the 
chances. 

"  We  have  left  to  the  last  the  most  hazardous  work 
of  all,"  he  said,  "  and  yet  in  some  respects  the  most 
important.  I  mean  the  winning  over  of  some  of  those 
men,  the  politicians,  the  men  of  tongues  not  deeds, 
whose  names  are  most  before  the  public.  They  are 
the  most  dangerous  of  all  to  meddle  with,  and  yet 
without  them  I  fear  for  the  result.  And  we  cannot 
draw  them  to  us  until  we  can  show  that  the  army  is 
on  our  side." 


FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT?  235 

"  And  what  of  the  army  ?  " 

"  We  have  done  all  that  human  effort  could  achieve 
in  the  time — but  we  could  not  do  impossibilities.  On 
the  troops  in  Philippopoli  I  believe  we  can  count 
surely.  General  Montkouroff  is  Bulgarian  to  the 
core,  and  where  he  leads  the  majors  will  follow.  He 
has  been  sounded  and  will  act  with  us.  But  here  in 
Sofia  there  is  not  a  regiment,  except  that  to  which  I 
and  Spernow  belong,  which  would  not  turn  against  us. 
This  disposition  of  the  troops  has  all  been  arranged 
by  Russia  and  the  traitors  who  are  Russia's  friends. 
The  risk  is  tremendous." 

"  There  is  no  alternative  but  flight,  remember." 

"And  fly  I  will  not.  Come  what  may,  we  will 
strike." 

"If  the  Princess  will,"  said  I.  "We  must  see  her 
at  once."  And  in  this  mood  we  started  for  her  house, 
Zoiloff  urging  me  on  the  way  to  see  her  alone. 

''  You  have  more  influence  with  her  than  all  of  us 
put  together,"  he  said  quickly.  "  I  will  remain  at  hand, 
and  you  can  call  me  in  if  you  cannot  prevail.  But  you 
are  right,  Count,  and  I  am  with  you  hand  and  heart. 
We  must  either  strike  an  imperfect  blow  at  once  or 
abandon  everything." 


CHAPTER   XXII 

THE   HOUR   OF   INDECISION 

MY  anticipations  of  the  interview  with  Christina 
were  a  mingling  of  pleasure  and  apprehension.  I  was 
longing  to  see  her.  I  had  not  set  eyes  on  her  for  four 
days,  and,  busily  as  the  time  had  been  filled,  my 
thoughts  had  been  constantly  with  her.  I  recalled, 
too,  with  a  feeling  of  mixed  tenderness  and  pain,  how 
she  had  then  said  we  must  not  meet  again  alone, 
and  at  the  recollection  my  pulses  thrilled  again  with 
the  sad  sweetness  of  our  acknowledged  but  never  to  be 
avowed  love. 

The  knowledge  of  her  present  danger  moved  me 
deeply.  I  had  to  tell  her  the  ill  news  myself,  and,  in 
telling  it,  to  urge  her  to  take  the  course  which  I  knew 
must  put  an  impassable  gulf  between  us.  It  had  been 
easy  enough  for  me,  in  consultation  with  Zoiloff,  when 
we  were  both  staggered  by  this  new  development,  to 
decide  for  the  counsel  of  energy  and  to  choose  the 
course  which,  while  loyal  to  Christina,  my  Princess, 
was  traitor  to  Christina,  my  love.  But  if  she  would 
fly  the  country,  there  would  be  no  longer  the  barrier  of 
a  throne  between  us. 

And  in  the  minutes  I  was  alone  waiting  for  her  com- 
ing, the  thought  of  all  I  was  to  lose  in  losing  her,  and 
of  all  I  was  to  gain  if  she  would  consent  to  flight, 
threatened  to  make  a  coward  of  me  and  urged  me  to 
plead  with  all  a  lover's  strength  that  she  should  choose 

the  course  which  would  make  her  my  wife.     Away 
236 


THE  HOUR  OF  INDECISION  237 

from  her  I  could  be  the  impassionate  adviser,  but  in  her 
presence,  with  the  light  of  her  eyes  upon  my  face,  with 
my  heart  glowing  and  throbbing  with  the  knowledge 
of  my  love  for  her  and  hers  for  me,  it  would  be  hard 
to  be  more  than  a  lover,  and,  being  that,  not  to  set 
the  hopes  and  desires  of  our  love  beyond  all  other 
consideration. 

I  had  to  wait  some  minutes  for  her;  and,  as  they 
passed,  the  struggle  grew  fiercer,  the  temptation 
strengthened,  and  the  fear  of  losing  her  waxed  until  I 
was  almost  impelled  to  call  in  Zoiloff  to  prop  my 
stumbling  resolve.  There  were  so  many  arguments  to 
favour  flight.  The  road  was  still  open  ;  the  means 
were  instantly  available  ;  safety  could  be  won  in  a  few 
hours — long  before  this  Russian  tyrant  could  strike  ; 
the  Prince  had  counselled,  even  urged  it ;  the  Russian 
captain  had  done  the  same  ;  all  were  convinced  that 
safety  could  lie  in  no  other  course. 

And  if  we  struck  and  failed,  what  outlook  was  there 
but  humiliation,  ill-usage,  a  prison,  and  possibly  death? 
Love  was  calling  to  us  both  on  that  frontier  road,  and 
smiling  with  the  promise  of  a  life  of  rare  delight ;  and 
here  in  the  city  stood  the  gaunt  shadow  of  menacing 
defeat,  with  all  its  grim  terrors  and  gloomy  threats  of 
ruthless  indignity,  and  quenchless,  loveless  sorrow  and 
separation.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  I  hearkened 
for  the  moment  to  the  whispering  invitation  of  love, 
and  closed  my  ears  to  aught  beside  ? 

But  before  she  came  I  had  fought  it  back,  thrusting 
the  temptation  away  from  me  as  a  thing  dishonourable 
and  unclean,  and  I  rose  to  greet  her  with  a  heart  as  full 
of  loyalty  as  of  love.  She  was  looking  sad  and 
troubled,  and  she  bowed  to  me  merely,  not  giving  me 
her  hand  as  on  former  visits. 


238  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  I  had  not  thought  that  we  should  be  alone  again, 
Count  Benderoff,"  she  said,  a  little  formally  ;  and  I 
hoped  I  could  detect  in  this  reception  and  in  the  light 
of  her  eyes  when  they  fell  upon  me  the  sight  of  a  per- 
sonal feeling  of  pleasure  that  needed  to  be  held  firmly 
in  check.  I  adopted  a  tone  of  formality  that  equalled 
her  own. 

"  I  had  not  forgotten  your  wish,  Princess,  but  I  have 
been  compelled  by  grave  circumstances  to  come  to  you 
thus.  Have  you  heard  any  news  ?  Your  anxious 
looks  suggest  that  you  may  know  what  I  have  to 
tell." 

"  I  have  heard  nothing.     Is  there  bad  news?  " 

"  I  grieve  to  say  it  is  of  the  worst." 

"  This  time,  at  least,  you  are  the  bearer  of  it,"  she 
replied,  smiling  faintly.  "  And  I  can  trust  you  to  tell 
me  frankly.  What  is  it  ? 

I  told  her  plainly  everything.  First,  the  warning 
which  the  Russian  officer,  Captain  Wolasky,  had  given 
me  on  the  previous  evening  ;  and  his  strong  advice  that 
she  should  fly  before  it  was  too  late.  Then,  in  great 
detail,  all  that  had  passed  between  the  Prince  and 
myself  that  morning. 

She  was  very  pale  and  much  agitated  as  my  narra- 
tive proceeded ;  but  she  interrupted  me  scarcely  once, 
and  at  the  close  sank  back  in  her  seat,  and  with  her 
hands  across  her  eyes  remained  buried  in  thought. 

"  It  is  hard  news  to  hear,"  she  said  despondently. 
"  You  say  it  spells  the  ruin  of  everything." 

"  It  is  to  the  full  as  hard  for  me  to  tell  as  for  you 
to  hear,"  I  answered  gently.  "  But  it  is  no  moment  to 
flinch  from  the  facts,  however  ugly.  I  fear  it  means 
the  ruin  of  everything."  At  my  gloomy  words  she 
shuddered,  and  sat  for  some  minutes  silent  in  dismay. 


THE  HOUR  OF  INDECISION  239 

When  she  turned  her  face  to  me,  it  was  so  full  of  an- 
guish and  pain  that  it  made  my  heart  ache. 

"  How  can  I  save  those  whom  I  have  involved  in 
this?" 

"  We  are  thinking  of  you,  Princess,"  I  answered. 

"  Oh  no,  no,  not  of  me  !  "  she  exclaimed  vehemently. 
"  For  myself  I  care  nothing.  Heaven  knows,  my 
motives  have  not  been  inspired  by  mere  personal  am- 
bition. I  do  not  crave  a  throne,  but  I  have  longed 
with  a  passion  I  cannot  perhaps  make  you  feel,  to 
spread  the  blessing  of  freedom  among  the  people.  For 
this  end  I  have  striven  ;  and  now  it  seems  I  have  failed. 
Do  not  think  of  me.  I  will  not  think  of  myself.  But 
to  bring  others  to  ruin  is  more  than  I  can  endure.  Tell 
me — what  do  you  advise?  What  can  I  do?" 

"  There  seem  but  two  courses  open,"  I  said,  and 
told  her  what  Zoiloff  and  I  had  agreed  together. 

"  You  did  not  think  that  I  would  fly  and  leave  those 
who  have  rallied  to  my  cause  to  bear  the  brunt  while  I 
was  seeking  the  coward's  refuge  of  safety  ?  "  she  asked, 
half  indignant  that  I  should  even  have  suggested  it. 

"  No,  I  did  not,"  I  answered  quietly ;  "  I  knew  you  ;  " 
and  her  eyes  thanked  me  for  the  words.  "  I  should 
remind  you,  too,  that  this  check  has  come  so  suddenly 
and  prematurely  for  our  plans  that  there  are  very  few 
who  are  really  involved  in  any  danger.  We  have 
barely  had  time  to  throw  off  the  veil  of  Russia's  sanc- 
tion of  our  efforts,  so  that  there  are  scarcely  more  than 
a  handful  of  us  who  know  the  real  object  of  the  scheme  ; 
and  General  Kolfort  would  be  unable  to  bring  home 
even  to  them  any  acts  against  Russia.  It  is  he  who 
has  encouraged  the  plans  laid  "  In  the  name  of  a 
Woman,"  and  his  own  writing  was  in  evidence  to  prove 
it.  You  will  remember  my  early  insistence  upon  the 


240          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

necessity  for  obtaining  his  written  sanction.  In  the 
face  of  that  I  do  not  see  that  he  could  produce  proofs 
to  convict  anyone  except  our  trusty  Zoiloff  and  Sper- 
now,  and  say  two  or  three  others." 

"But  yourself?"  she  cried,  in  a  tone  of  quick  alarm. 

"  I  do  not  regard  the  consequences  to  myself  as  very 
serious,  Princess,"  I  said  calmly. 

"  I  shall  not  run  away,"  she  said,  taking  what  I 
said  as  an  argument  in  favour  of  her  seeking  her  own 
safety,  and  she  paused  again  to  think.  "  Could  I  go 
myself  to  General  Kolfort ;  give  up  everything  on  con- 
dition of  his  visiting  it  all  on  me  ?  I  am  responsible." 

It  was  a  true  woman's  offer,  and  a  noble  one  ;  but  I 
shook  my  head. 

"  I  fear  it  would  be  hopeless.  He  would  but  drag 
from  you  all  that  you  could  tell  him,  and  then  use  the 
information  remorselessly  and  without  a  scruple  against 
those  implicated.  You  would  do  the  very  thing  you 
seek  to  avoid."  Her  face  fell  as  she  saw  the  truth  of 
this,  and  she  sighed  heavily. 

"  But  this  alternative — what  is  it  but  a  wild  forlorn 
hope  ?  A  desperate  step  with  scarce  a  chance  of  suc- 
cess? May  not  the  consequences  be  a  thousandfold 
worse  than  the  worst  that  can  come  of  doing  noth- 
ing? Have  you  thought  of  what  would  happen 
if  we  failed  ?  You  said  just  now  that  so  far  only  a  few 
are  openly  embroiled ;  but  should  we  not  be  forcing 
each  man  to  declare  himself,  and  would  not  each  be 
marked  out  plainly  as  a  target  for  Russian  malice?  " 

"  There  is  the  hope  of  success,  even  if  it  be  forlorn. 
There  are  many  of  us  who  think  it  better  to  fight  and 
fail  than  not  to  fight  at  all." 

"  I  do  not  like  it ;  I  am  afraid   of  it.     The   chances 


THE  HOUR  OF  INDECISION  241 

are  so  few ;  the  risks  so  enormous  to  others.  I  dare 
not  sanction  it." 

"  We  are  men  ;  the  cause  is  a  noble  one  ;  enthusiasm 
has  spread  everywhere,  and  a  lesser  spirit  has  ere  now 
led  a  feebler  movement  to  success.  There  is  not  one 
of  us,  I  believe,  who  would  stand  back  in  fear." 

"  There  may  be  bloodshed,"  she  cried. 

"  Much  blood  has  already  been  shed  in  the  cause  of 
oppression.  We  must  think  of  the  ends,  not  the 
means.  A  bold  stroke  here  will  bring  the  army  in  the 
south  to  your  standard — and  that  may  do  everything." 

"  It  is  a  momentous  decision  to  have  to  make.  I 
cannot  make  it.  I  must  have  time  to  think." 

"  Every  hour  that  delays  the  decision  may  turn  the 
balance  between  success  and  failure." 

"If  I  thought  we  could  triumph!"  she  cried,  her 
eyes  flashing  and  her  cheeks  glowing  for  a  moment. 
But  she  paused,  the  light  died  out  as  quickly  as  it 
had  come,  and  she  shook  her  head  mournfully.  "  I 
must  have  time." 

"Let  me  send  for  Captain  Zoiloff.     Hear  him." 

"  Do  you  think  he  can  persuade  me  where  you  fail, 
Count?"  she  asked,  her  eyes  burning  again,  but  with 
a  different  emotion. 

"  At  least  I  would  have  you  hear  him,  Princess,"  I 
said,  dropping  my  eyes  and  speaking  as  evenly  as  I 
could  command  my  voice. 

While  he  was  sent  for  I  stood  in  silence,  and  when 
he  came  I  told  him  briefly  what  had  passed.  He  spoke 
strongly  and  bluntly  like  the  sturdy  fellow  he  was  ;  but 
he  could  not  prevail  any  more  than  I,  and  he  left  the 
room  rather  abruptly. 

The  Princess  looked  after  him  with  an  expression  of 
the  deepest  pain,  and  when  she  turned  again  to  me  I 
16 


242          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

saw  the  tears  standing  in  her  eyes,  and  her  voice  was 
all  unsteady  as  she  cried  from  her  heart : 

"Does  he  think  I  would  not  do  this  if  I  dared?" 
And  throwing  herself  back  in  her  seat,  she  pressed  her 
hands  to  her  face,  quite  overcome  with  the  strain  of 
her  emotions. 

I  waited  in  much  embarrassment,  uncertain  whether 
to  go  or  stay.  Some  moments  passed  in  this  tense 
silence,  and  then,  to  my  surprise,  she  turned  upon  me 
with  some  indignation. 

"Why  did  you  bring  him  here  to  humiliate  me  like 
this  ?  Does  it  give  you  pleasure  to  stay  and  witness 
my  weakness — or  what  you  deem  weakness  ?  Cannot 
you  understand  what  I  feel  ?  Is  everything  to  yield 
place  to  ambition,  and  are  the  dictates  of  humanity 
nothing  to  you  ?  Cannot  you  see  what  I  am  suffering, 
torn  in  this  way  by  the  distracting  doubts  of  such  a 
crisis  ?  Do  you  think  these  tears  are  not  as  hard  for 
me  to  shed  as  the  blood  of  others  as  innocent  of  wrong 
as  God  knows  I  am  ?  Why  do  you  plague  me  until 

I Oh,  forgive  me  my  wild  words  !  I  don't  know 

what  I  am  saying."  And  she  passed  in  a  breath  from 
indignation  to  lament. 

"  Permit  me  to  leave  you  now,  Princess,"  I  mur- 
mured. 

"  Would  you  also  leave  me  in  anger  ?  Have  I  no 
friend  staunch  enough  to  bear  with  my  moods,  or  true 
enough  to  understand  me  ?  Yes,  Count  Benderoff,  if 
you  wish  to  go  the  way  is  open  to  you."  And,  rising, 
she  stood  erect  and  proud,  and  made  me  a  stately  bow 
as  of  dismissal.  "  I  can  decide  and  act  alone,  if  need 
be."  Yet  in  the  very  moment  of  her  passing  indigna- 
tion her  lip  quivered  and  her  breath  was  tremulous. 

"As  God  is  my  judge,  I  have  no  thought  but  for 


THE  HOUR  OF  INDECISION  243 

you !  "  I  cried,  with  a  rush  of  passion  at  the  sight  of 
her  trouble,  and  I  threw  myself  on  my  knee  before 
her.  "  Tell  me  how  you  wish  me  to  act,  and  when  I 
have  failed  reproach  me  with  want  of  staunchness,  but 
not  till  then." 

My  voice  was  hoarse  and  broken. 

As  I  knelt  I  could  hear  the  quick  catches  in  her 
breath  as  she  stood  over  me,  and  the  very  rustling  of 
the  trembling  laces  of  her  dress  seemed  to  speak  to 
me  of  her  sufferings. 

"  I  have  wronged  you,  or  worse — I  have  insulted 
you,  Count.  Ah  me !  I  who  know  so  well  how  you 
are  indeed  my  friend  !  Do  not  kneel  to  me.  It  is  I 
who  should  kneel  to  you."  And  at  that  her  hand, 
fevered  and  trembling,  was  laid  gently  in  mine,  as  if  to 
raise  me  to  my  feet. 

I  kissed  the  fingers,  the  tender  grace  of  her  words  of 
contrition  almost  unmanning  me,  and  driving  out  all 
thought  but  of  my  love  and  my  desire  to  comfort  her. 
I  rose,  and,  still  holding  her  hand,  gazed  into  her  eyes, 
which  shone  on  me  through  the  dew  of  her  tears  in  a 
smile  of  loving  confidence. 

"  I  trust  you  wholly,"  she  whispered.  "  Help  me  to 
do  right." 

"  If  I  were  thinking  of  myself,  I  would  urge  you  with 
every  means  in  my  power  to  fly,"  I  said  in  low,  rapid 
accents  of  passion. 

"  No,  no,  you  must  not  counsel  that,"  she  cried 
vehemently.  "We  must  not,  dare  not,  think  of  our- 
selves. Spare  me  that  temptation." 

"  You  cannot  stay  here  and  be  safe  unless  we  make 
this  desperate  venture." 

"  And  the  world  would  say  I  ran  away  because  I 
feared  for  my  safety,  betraying  all  who  have  sought 


244          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

to  help  my  cause ;  or  else  that  I  fled  to —  She 

paused,  her  face  aflame  with  sudden  blushes.  "  You 
would  not  have  me  do  that  ?  " 

"  You  are  my  world,"  I  answered  recklessly.  "  Listen 
one  moment.  In  our  hearts  we  all  know,  Zoiloff  as 
well  as  any,  that  the  cause  is  lost.  Till  I  fired  him 
again — knowing  how  you  would  shrink  from  flight — 
he  was  saturated  with  hopelessness.  When  he  heard 
the  ill  news,  his  one  thought  was  how  you  could  be 
saved.  That  is  the  thought  of  us  all.  The  way  to 
the  frontier  is  still  open.  I  have  ready  at  instant  com- 
mand the  means  of  securing  your  safety.  If  you  will 
go,  I  will  stay  to  check  the  slanderous  tongues  whose 
malice  you  dread.  If  you  bid  me  I  will  never  see  you 
again.  But  for  God's  sake,  I  implore  you,  leave  me  at 
least  the  solace  that  you  are  safe." 

The  words  moved  her  so  that  for  a  while  she  could 
not  speak,  but  the  clasp  of  her  hand  tightened  on 
mine.  Then  she  asked  tenderly  : 

"Do  you  think  the  woman  in  me  would  know  a 
moment's  happiness  if  you  were  in  danger  ?  " 

"Then  let  it  be  a  woman's  decision,"  I  urged  pas- 
sionately, carried  away  by  the  love  in  her  voice.  "  Life 
is  all  before  us." 

"  No.  It  cannot  be.  Cannot.  Must  not,"  and  she 
shook  her  head  and  shuddered.  "  You  know  what  this 
temptation  must  be  to  me.  Do  not  urge  it.  I  cannot 
listen.  I  dare  not  yield.  I  beg  you  be  merciful,"  she 
pleaded. 

"  Then  fly  and  let  me  remain,"  I  said. 

"  The  Princess  cannot  and  must  not  go."  The  words 
came  all  reluctantly,  but  were  firmly  spoken.  I  saw 
my  pleading  of  love  was  to  fail,  and  my  heart  sank. 
"  But  you  must  fly  !  " 


THE  HOUR  OF  INDECISION  245 

"  Christina !  "  The  name  slipped  in  protest  from 
my  lips  before  I  thought,  and  I  feared  she  would  re- 
sent it  ;  and  I  felt  her  hand  start. 

"That  is  the  hardest  plea  of  all  you  have  used, "she 
said  softly,  with  a  smile  of  rare  sweetness.  "  Christina 
is  powerless  to  resist  you,  but  the  Princess  must  decide 
this.  Do  not  use  that  plea  again." 

"  I  must — I  cannot  lose  you,"  I  cried  desperately, 
"  I  love  you  so." 

l<  Don't,  please,  please  don't.  If  I  dared  to  think  of 
myself  there  would  be  no  gladlier  fugitive  under 
Heaven's  bright  sky  than  Christina.  There,  I  have 
bared  my  heart  to  you,  as  I  never  thought  to  open  it. 
And  by  the  love  I  know  you  have  for  me,  and  by  the 
love  that  answers  it  in  my  heart,  I  entreat  you  help 
me  to  be  strong  enough  to  resist  you.  Let  us  never 
have  to  think  that  we  placed  our  love  before  our  duty 
— however  hard  and  stern.  Lend  me  your  man's 
strength  ;  I  need  it  so  sorely."  And  with  a  little 
piteous  action  of  entreaty  she  placed  her  other  hand 
on  mine,  and  gazed  full  into  my  eyes. 

I  stood  righting  down  my  wildly  roused  passion, 
trembling  under  its  stress  like  a  child,  till  I  conquered  it. 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  wish,"  I  said  at  length.  "  We 
will  stay  and  face  this  together.  But  you  must  not 
ask  me  again  to  desert  you." 

"  There  is  a  higher  happiness  than  is  bounded  by 
our  own  wishes  only,"  she  whispered. 

"  I  can  know  no  sorrow  deeper  than  my  loss  of  you. 
But  it  shall  be  as  my  Princess  desires  ;"  and  I  bent 
and  kissed  her  hands  again. 

"The  sorrow  should  be  the  lighter  if  divided,"  she 
whispered,  with  a  tender  reproach  for  the  selfishness 
of  my  words. 


246          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"The  thought  made  me  a  coward  for  the  moment. 
And  no  man  should  be  a  coward  whose  ears  have  been 
blessed  by  the  words  which  you  have  spoken,  and  the 
knowledge  I  have  gained.  Forgive  the  cowardice." 

"  I  would  I  could  as  easily  spare  you  the  sorrow," 
she  murmured. 

"  To  do  that  now  would  be  to  rob  my  life  of  its  one 
great  happiness.  Come  what  may  for  me,  I  shall  never 
love  again  ;  "  and  with  that  assurance,  which  brought 
all  the  love  in  her  heart  in  a  rush  of  eloquent,  speak- 
ing tenderness  to  her  eyes,  I  left  her,  caring  little  in- 
deed what  might  happen  to  me  if  our  union  were  im- 
possible. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

IN    FULL    CRY 

THE  night  that  followed  was  a  memorable  one  in 
the  history  of  Bulgaria  and,  as  an  incident  of  the  great 
event,  it  brought  the  crisis  in  our  affairs. 

It  was  the  night  in  which  by  the  machinations  of 
the  Russian  agents  the  Prince  was  abducted,  and  at 
the  point  of  the  pistol  was  forced  to  sign  an  abdication 
of  his  throne.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  write 
about  an  event  which  has  been  often  enough  de- 
scribed, nor  to  tell  how  the  crowd  of  unpatriotic  and 
disloyal  officers  led  their  troops  to  surround  the  Pal- 
ace, ordered  them  to  fire  into  it,  and  then  breaking  in 
forced  his  Highness  to  leave,  and  hurried  him  off  to 
Nikopolis,  making  him  a  prisoner  on  board  his  own 
yacht,  to  be  landed  on  Russian  territory. 

Exactly  what  led  up  to  this  crisis  I  do  not  know. 
My  opinion  is  that  General  Kolfort's  offer  to  maintain 
him  on  the  throne  on  certain  relaxed  conditions  was 
genuine  and  would  have  been  fulfilled,  but  at  the  same 
time  the  alternative  plot  was  already  in  progress,  and 
this  scheme  was  hastened  forward  on  the  Prince's 
refusal  of  the  Russian  terms. 

Had  our  own  preparations  but  been  a  couple  of 
weeks  more  forward  the  issue  would  have  been  dif- 
ferent ;  but,  as  it  was,  that  coup  set  the  final  seal  on 
our  failure. 

The  event  took  us  absolutely  by  surprise.  I  had  re- 

247 


248          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

tired  for  the  night  wondering  what  the  morrow  would 
bring  forth,  when  my  household  were  roused  by  a  loud 
summons  at  the  door.  My  first  thought  was  that  the 
General  had  again  sent  his  men  to  arrest  me ;  and  I 
was  for  resisting  to  the  utmost,  when  it  was  discovered 
that  the  summons  came  from  Zoiloff  and  Spernow, 
who  had  come  in  hot  haste  to  bring  me  the  great  news 
and  to  confer  with  me  as  to  our  actions. 

The  perilous  nature  of  the  crisis  was  obvious,  and 
my  first  thought  was  naturally  for  the  Princess,  with  a 
deep  and  bitter  regret  that  she  had  not  done  what  I 
had  urged  so  strongly — used  the  means  we  had  to 
make  a  dash  for  the  frontier. 

Choosing  half  a  dozen  of  my  servants  on  whom  I 
knew  I  could  rely  implicitly,  we  armed  them  fully  and 
set  out  on  foot  for  the  Princess's  house.  The  sounds 
of  firing  from  the  direction  of  the  Palace  reached  us 
as  we  made  our  way  through  the  streets,  in  which  the 
people  were  beginning  to  cluster  in  groups  drawn  by 
curiosity  and  alarm,  discussing  in  high  and  excited 
tones  the  meaning  of  the  disturbance. 

No  one  stayed  or  questioned  us  on  the  way  to  the 
Princess's  house,  but  when  we  reached  it  we  halted  in 
amazement.  Every  window  was  dark,  not  a  light 
showing  anywhere,  while  the  gates  and  doors  and  fore- 
court were  thronged  with  armed  men. 

"  They've  captured  her ! "  exclaimed  Zoiloff,  in- 
stantly. "  And  we  are  helpless  against  such  a  crowd." 

"  We  must  know  the  truth,"  I  said,  my  heart  mis- 
giving me.  "You  are  best  known,  Spernow;  go  for- 
ward and  try  to  ascertain  the  truth,  whether  the 
Princess  has  been  carried  away,  and  if  so,  where." 

He  went  at  once ;  and  then  Markov  stepped  up 
to  me. 


IN  FULL  CRY  249 

"  I  think  I  can  find  out  all.  I  am  sure  to  know 
some  of  the  men,"  he  said. 

I  sent  him  after  Spernow,  and  stood  back  in  the 
shadow  to  wait  with  such  patience  as  I  could  com- 
mand. My  excitement  and  fear  made  me  like  a  mad- 
man, till  I  felt  I  could  almost  have  rushed  single- 
handed  against  the  troops  and  tried  to  hack  my  way 
into  the  house. 

"  This  means  devilish  mischief,  Count,"  said  Zoiloff 
in  a  hushed  tone.  "You  will  be  the  next." 

"  I  care  nothing  for  myself,  but  I  will  save  her,"  I 
said  between  my  teeth. 

Spernow  came  back  in  a  few  minutes. 

"  I  can  learn  nothing.  The  men  have  orders  to  hold 
their  tongues.  But  the  Princess  is  not  in  the  house  ; 
at  least  I  gather  that." 

"  Then  why  the  devil  do  they  guard  it  ?  "  cried  Zoiloff 
fiercely. 

"  They  may  be  waiting  for  orders  where  to  go  next." 

"  It  will  be  to  your  house,  Count.  You  mustn't 
return  there,  but  fly  at  once  and  leave  us  to  settle 
this." 

"  When  I  leave  you  either  I  shall  be  dead  or  the 
Princess  will  be  safe,"  I  answered  hotly.  "  Let  us 
wait  for  Markov ;  he  is  a  shrewd,  cunning  fellow,  and 
may  find  out  something." 

"  I  am  anxious  about  Mademoiselle  Broumoff, 
Count,"  said  Spernow,  eager,  as  I  could  see,  to  get 
tidings  of  her.  I  sympathised  with  him,  as  well  may 
be  understood. 

"  Go  in  quest  of  her  at  once,"  I  said;  "and,  when 
you  can,  return  to  my  house,  and  we  will  thresh 
out  some  plan  of  action.  We  may  have  news  by 
then." 


250          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

He  was  off  like  the  wind,  and  Zoiloff  and  I  waited 
on  in  silence  for  Markov  to  return. 

He  seemed  an  age  in  coming,  and  I  strained  my  eyes 
in  trying  to  catch  some  trace  of  him  in  the  crowd  of 
moving  figures  that  thronged  the  place.  I  gave  a  deep 
s!gh  of  relief  when  at  length  I  saw  him  come  out  of 
the  gate,  stand  idly  a  moment  glancing  up  and  down 
the  street,  and  then,  as  if  sauntering  away  in  obedience 
to  the  merest  curiosity,  cross  the  road  to  us. 

"  Well  ?  "  I  asked  eagerly. 

"  I  have  news.  We  had  better  not  stay  longer  here, 
your  honour,"  he  whispered,  and  walked  away,  speak- 
ing rapidly  as  we  walked.  "  The  Princess  Christina 
left  here  some  two  hours  ago.  She  is  a  prisoner  in  the 
hands  of  General  Kolfort's  men.  She  was  roused  by 
them  just  before  midnight  and  compelled  to  enter  a 
carriage  that  was  in  waiting,  and  was  driven  off  under 
a  strong  guard,  with  a  considerable  escort  of  mounted 
men." 

"  Where  have  they  taken  her  ?  "  cried  Zoiloff  and  I, 
in  a  breath  together,  when  he  paused. 

"  The  actual  destination  is  not  known,  but  the  car- 
riage started  for  the  south  road,  that  leading  to  Liu- 
blian  ;  and  one  suggestion  is  that  they  will  carry  her 
to  Ichtman  or  on  to  Samakovo,  where  there  is  a  strong 
Russian  detachment." 

"  Do  you  know  who  was  with  her  ?  Was  anyone  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  Yes ;  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  was  taken  from 
home  at  the  same  time,  and  I  believe  was  in  the  car- 
riage  with  the  Princess." 

"  Did  you  hear  anything  concerning  the  Count  ?  " 
asked  Zoiloff. 

"  I  was  asked  if  your  honour  was  still  at  liberty,  and 


IN  FULL  CRY  251 

advised  to  look  out  for  a  new  master.  I  shall  not  do 
that  yet,  sir,  I  hope,"  he  added  ;  "  not  till  you  tell  me, 
at  any  rate." 

I  liked  his  faithfulness  in  choosing  such  a  moment 
to  assure  me  of  his  attachment. 

"  It  may  be  a  dangerous  service  for  the  next  fevtf 
hours,  Markov ;  but  you  have  done  excellently  in  this 
— excellently.** 

We  were  now  hastening  back  to  my  house,  for  I  had 
already  resolved  to  follow  on  the  Princess's  trail  in- 
stantly ;  to  rescue  her  at  any  hazard,  and  hurry  her 
across  the  frontier,  fighting  our  way,  if  need  be,  through 
all  who  challenged  us.  Zoiloff  was  with  me  heart  and 
soul ;  and  we  set  about  the  preparations  with  an 
energy  almost  feverish  in  its  earnestness. 

Fortunately  I  had  a  large  stud  of  first-rate  horses, 
and  every  man  in  the  place  who  could  be  relied  upon 
was  armed  to  the  teeth  and  mounted,and  provided  with 
enough  rations  to  last  through  the  coming  day.  I  had 
taken  care  to  provide  myself  with  a  large  sum  in  gold, 
so  as  to  be  ready  for  any  such  emergency  as  the  pres- 
ent, and  this  I  took  with  me.  We  numbered  nearly 
twenty  men,  all  trained,  vigorous,  staunch  fellows,  and 
all  zealous  to  the  heart's-core  in  our  cause. 

When  we  were  ready  I  took  Zoiloff  aside.  I  knew 
his  resolute  character  and  his  fidelity  to  the  Princess  ; 
but  I  knew  also  that  his  career  lay  in  Bulgaria,  and  that 
if  he  were  caught  with  me  on  such  an  enterprise  the 
consequences  to  him  would  be  worse  than  disastrous, 
and  I  did  not  wish  to  embroil  him  any  further. 

"  Zoiloff,  I  am  going  to  speak  as  a  friend.  No  one 
can  see  the  end  of  this  business  of  ours.  We  may  find 
ourselves  face  to  face  with  the  troops  and  may  have  to 
risk  an  encounter  with  them.  For  me  it  does  not 


252          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

signify.  I  am  an  Englishman  and  can  scramble  out  of 
the  mess  somehow.  For  these  men  here  there  is  no 
great  danger  either.  Old  Kolfort  won't  deal  harshly 
with  servants  who  can  plead  that  I  forced  them  into 
it.  But  with  you  it  is  all  different.  You  are  an  officer, 
and  to  fight  against  the  troops  is  an  act  of  deadly 
treason — mutiny  probably,  punishable  with  Heaven 
knows  what  penalties.  Now,  as  my  friend,  will  you 
let  me  ask  you  to  stay  here  and  guard  our  interests  in 
Sofia?" 

He  heard  me  impatiently  and  looked  at  me  keenly. 

"Are  you  serious,  Count  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  my  friendship 

"  Stop,  please,  or  I  may  say  something  I  should 
regret,  Count,"  he  broke  in,  bluntly.  "  I  should  not 
reckon  that  man  a  friend  who  would  urge  me  to  be  a 
coward.  Were  you  any  other  man  I  would  not  brook 
it  once,  and  even  you  will  put  a  strain  on  our  friend- 
ship if  you  breathe  a  word  of  this  again.  We  arc 
wasting  time.  Let  us  to  horse.  I  have  not  deserved 
this  of  you,  Count,  and  if  I  thought  I  had  I'd  shoot 
myself  for  a  cur.  Are  you  the  only  man  that  can  love 
the  Princess  ?  " 

"  Forgive  me,  friend.  I  beg  your  pardon,"  I  cried, 
vastly  moved  by  his  words;  and  I  held  out  my  hand. 

"  I  am  no  rival  of  yours,"  he  said  earnestly,  as  he 
wrung  it.  "  But  if  a  hair  of  her  head  be  injured  I  will 
know  by  whom,  and  if  it  does  not  go  hard  with  him  I 
am  no  man.  Come,  I  am  hot  to  be  away." 

As  we  were  mounted,  Spernow  dashed  up  on  horse- 
back, pale  of  face  and  wild  of  manner. 

"  Nathalie  has  gone,  too,"  he  exclaimed,  and  I  told 
him  very  briefly  what  we  believe  had  occurred. 

In  another  minute  we  started,  riding  in  couples  and 


IN  FULL  CRY  253 

at  some  distance.  Quietly,  until  we  were  clear  of  the 
town,  was  the  order  I  gave  ;  then  join,  and  forward  in 
full  cry.  The  firing  had  not  entirely  ceased  at  the 
Palace  when  we  set  out,  and  an  occasional  report 
reached  us  as  we  wended  our  way  through  the  city  by 
different  streets  to  the  point  on  the  south  road  where 
we  were  to  join.  So  much  was  now  astir  in  the  city 
that  even  our  cavalcade  caused  little  or  no  comment  or 
surprise.  Strange  tidings  and  rumours  were  now  on  the 
wind,  flying  everywhere,  and  the  excitement  and  con- 
fusion they  spread  caused  our  movements  to  pass  un- 
challenged. 

Once  at  the  meeting-place  we  pricked  our  horses 
into  a  gallop  and  set  out,  a  stern  determined  band  dead 
set  on  revenge,  and  resolved  every  man  of  us  to  achieve 
the  end  we  had  at  the  cost  of  life  itself. 

I  rode  at  the  head,  with  Markov  as  guide  ;  Zoiloff 
and  Spernow  behind  me,  and  the  rest,  four  abreast, 
keeping  order  like  a  small  cavalry  detachment.  The 
night  was  bright  with  moonlight,  and  the  country  lay 
around  us  everywhere  still  and  sunk  in  sleep.  Scarce 
a  soul  was  astir  in  the  hamlets  through  which  our  road 
passed,  but  I  took  the  utmost  precaution  to  prevent 
any  mischance. 

As  we  reached  each  village,  I  called  a  halt  and  sent 
Markov  forward  to  see  that  all  was  clear,  for  I  half 
expected  that  Kolfort  would  have  foreseen  our  pursuit 
of  Christina  and  have  posted  men  to  stop  us.  To 
save  time  we  gave  Markov  three  minutes  ;  and  if  he 
did  not  return  or  fire  a  shot  to  give  an  alarm,  we  clat- 
tered after  him  at  full  gallop. 

So  long  as  it  was  night,  there  was  no  one  of  whom 
we  could  make  inquiries,  and  thus  we  were  riding 
somewhat  at  random ;  but  as  soon  as  the.  dawn  should 


254          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

begin  to  streak  the  east  I  knew  the  peasants  would 
soon  be  astir,  and  that  then  we  might  pick  up  a  trace 
or  two  of  those  we  were  seeking. 

Then  Markov  made  a  valuable  suggestion. 

"Will  your  honour  let  me  ride  on  ahead  some  half 
mile  or  so  ?  We  are  nearingLiublian  now,  and  if  I  am 
alone  I  may  get  news  which  would  be  refused  to  so 
large  a  body  of  us  together.  I  may  see  any  danger, 
too,  and  be  able  to  warn  you." 

"  A  prudent  thought,  Markov,"  I  said,  bidding  him 
ride  on.  "  If  we  see  you  riding  back  to  us,  or  if  we 
hear  you  fire  a  shot,  we  shall  draw  rein  and  wait  till 
you  join  us ;  "  and  with  that  he  plunged  ahead  at  full 
speed,  and  we  watched  him  till  he  was  out  of  sight 
over  a  rise  in  the  road. 

I  told  Zoiloff  the  arrangement,  and  we  were  discuss- 
ing the  situation  in  jerky  whispers  while  we  halted, 
when  one  of  my  men  came  galloping  up  in  great  ex- 
citement. 

"  My  lord,  we  are  being  pursued.  I  had  to  stay 
behind  to  get  a  stone  out  of  my  horse's  hoof,  when  I 
heard  the  sound  of  horses  galloping  some  way  behind 
me." 

"How  far  behind?" 

"  I  cannot  say — the  night  is  very  still.  Perhaps 
half  a  mile,  or  maybe  a  mile." 

"  Ride  on  at  once  and  overtake  Markov,  and  warn 
him  to  draw  into  cover.  Off  with  you  !  We  must 
find  out  who  the  horsemen  are  and  their  strength,"  I 
added  to  Zoiloff. 

"  There  is  a  small  wood  there,  which  will  do  for 
cover,  Count,"  he  replied  instantly.  "  Let  the  men 
ride  there  and  take  our  horses,  while  you  and  I  stay 
on  foot  to  watch  the  newcomers." 


IN  FULL  CRY  255 

I  told  Spernow  to  post  the  men  in  the  covert,  and 
Zoiloff  and  I  lay  down  in  some  bushes  to  wait  for  the 
pursuers. 

It  was  an  anxious  moment,  and  we  lay  close  together, 
whispering  in  hurried  conference.  We  had  not  long 
to  wait. 

"  I  hear  them,"  whispered  Zoiloff,  gripping  my  arm. 
His  ears  were  quicker  than  mine,  but  a  moment  later 
I,  too,  caught  the  clatter  of  horses'  feet  and  then  the 
clash  of  accoutrements. 

"  Troops,"  I  whispered  ;  and  we  both  peered  between 
the  bushes,  straining  our  ears,  through  the  grey. twi- 
light of  the  dawn. 

As  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  rise  near  the  top  of 
which  we  were  concealed  the  party  slackened  speed, 
first  to  a  trot  and  then  to  a  walk,  to  ease  the  horses. 

"  I  hope  to  Heaven  none  of  our  horses  neigh," 
whispered  Zoiloff  earnestly. 

I  made  no  reply.  I  was  too  anxious  for  speech,  for 
such  a  chance  might  ruin  everything.  I  almost  held 
my  breath  as  the  first  of  the  horsemen  came  into  view, 
and  then  my  companion  gripped  my  arm  again  in  a 
spasm  of  irresistible  excitement. 

"  Kolfort,  by  the  luck  of  hell !  "  he  breathed,  and 
sure  enough,  in  the  second  line  of  three,  I  recognised 
the  grim,  stern  face  of  that  implacable  man. 

So  excited  was  I  that  I  almost  forgot  to  count  the 
men  with  him,  and  a  thousand  thoughts,  wild  and  in- 
coherent, rushed  through  my  mind  as  the  band  of 
horsemen  came  up  at  a  quick  walking  pace,  got  abreast, 
then  passed  on  up  the  rise,  and  dipped  out  of  sight  as 
they  broke  again  into  a  gallop,  the  footfalls  of  the 
horses  dying  away  very  quickly  over  the  summit  of 
the  hill. 


256          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  I  hope  to  the  Lord  he's  going  to  the  Princess !  " 
exclaimed  Zoiloff  as  we  scrambled  to  our  feet. 

"  More  likely  he  wants  to  be  in  a  position  to  prove 
his  absence  from  the  city  when  the  Prince  is  being 
carried  off,"  said  I.  "  But  wherever  he's  going  we 
must  know  and  follow." 

I  ran  across  to  where  our  men  were  posted  and  told 
off  one  of  them  to  follow  hot  on  the  heels  of  the  party 
and  be  ready  to  guide  us,  and  I  gave  him  enough  start 
of  us  to  allow  for  our  not  being  heard. 

"  It's  clear  he  wasn't  following  us,"  said  Zoiloff. 
"  There  were  only  twelve  men  all  told  in  the  party. 
What  a  chance  we  have  missed!  If  we  had  only 
known,  we  could  have  lined  the  road  just  where  we 
two  lay,  and  they'd  have  walked  right  into  the  trap. 
Only  twelve  to  nearly  twenty  of  us  !  and  we  should 
have  had  him  safe  enough.  God !  If  we  could  only 
get  hold  of  him,  the  safety  of  the  Princess  would  be  a 
simple  matter  enough." 

"We  may  do  it  yet,"  said  I  as  I  mounted,  and  we 
set  off  again  in  pursuit  of  those  we  had  believed  to  be 
in  pursuit  of  us. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  ATTACK 

IT  was  true  enough  of  course  that  we  had  missed 
a  glorious  chance  in  not  surprising  and  overcoming 
General  Kolfort's  party  and  making  him  a  prisoner  ; 
but  with  our  end  in  view  it  would  have  been  madness 
to  risk  an  encounter  when  we  had  absolutely  no  knowl- 
edge of  the  strength  opposed  to  us.  A  defeat  at  such 
a  moment  would  have  overthrown  all  our  plans  and 
have  involved  the  abandonment  of  Christina  to  what- 
ever fate  might  be  in  store  for  her. 

It  was  true,  too,  that  in  allowing  the  General  to  pass 
and  his  men  to  get  in  touch  with  the  others  who  were 
guarding  the  Princess,  we  had  increased  our  difficulties; 
and  the  result  of  a  hurried  consultation  with  Zoiloff  as 
we  rode  forward  was  a  decision  to  seek  and  overtake 
the  General's  party  and  try  conclusions  with  them. 

For  this  purpose,  however,  we  had  wasted  valuable 
time,  and  the  now  rapidly  lightening  dawn  greatly 
lessened  the  chance  of  catching  them  unawares,  and 
vastly  increased  the  risk.  But  we  were  in  no  mood  to 
count  the  chances  too  gingerly  and  we  dashed  along 
at  as  rapid  a  pace  as  our  horses  could  travel. 

The  road  was  execrable — rough  and  uneven  beyond 
description,  with  large  loose  stones  scattered  about  in 
it  in  a  way  that  made  the  going  exceedingly  difficult, 
and  in  parts  galloping  was  impossible. 

We  had  ridden  in  this  way  about  half  an  hour,  con- 
17  257 


258          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

stantly  having  to  draw  rein  for  either  the  roughness  of 
the  road  or  the  steep  hills,  when  we  came  up  with  the 
man  we  had  sent  to  warn  Markov,  and  the  other  who 
had  been  despatched  to  follow  the  General's  party. 

Markov  had  undertaken  the  spy  work  in  preference 
to  the  man  I  had  despatched,  and  the  change  was  a 
good  one.  I  had  not  been  free  from  the  fear  that 
Markov  might  be  surprised  by  the  General,  despite 
our  precaution  in  sending  to  warn  him,  and  it  was  good 
news  that  he  was  safe. 

We  did  not  stay  our  progress  a  moment.  The  men 
rode  by  my  side  as  each  in  turn  gave  me  his  report, 
and  then  dropped  back  into  the  ranks  behind  as  we 
thundered  forward,  eager  to  overtake  the  General 
before  he  should  fall  in  with  any  other  troops  ;  and 
the  best  news  that  the  men  brought  us  was  that  we 
were  gaining  fast  upon  them,  and  that  Kolfort  was  not 
far  ahead. 

This  spurred  us  to  further  effort,  and  we  were  rush- 
ing on  filled  with  the  hope  of  catching  him,  when  I 
saw  Markov  in  the  distance  galloping  wildly  in  our 
direction.  I  ordered  a  halt  instantly,  and  drew  up  to 
await  him. 

"  I  have  tracked  them,  my  lord,"  he  said  hurriedly  ; 
"  but  the  news  is  bad.  General  Kolfort  and  his  party 
are  in  a  house,  about  a  mile  ahead,  that  belongs  to 
him,  and  it  is  there  the  Princess  Christina  has  been 
carried.  At  least  I  judge  so,  for  I  slipped  from  my 
horse  and  managed  to  find  out  that  there  were  a  num- 
ber of  soldiers  about ;  and  I  spied  a  travelling  carriage 
in  front  of  the  house  with  all  the  signs  of  a  long 
journey  on  it.  The  horses  had  been  taken  out,  and  I 
judged  it  had  just  been  left  where  it  stopped,  the 
horses  being  taken  to  the  stables.  I  saw  General  Kol- 


THE  ATTACK  259 

fort's  party  halt  there,  and  he  and  one  or  two  with  him 
entered  the  house  while  the  soldiers  went  round  to  the 
back." 

"  How  many  soldiers  in  all  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  From  what  I  heard  in  the  city  last  night,  I  gath- 
ered there  were  about  a  dozen  in  charge  of  the  Prin- 
cess ;  I  counted  another  dozen  with  General  Kolfort — 
say  from  twenty-five  to  thirty,  all  told,  sir." 

"We  can  do  it  if  we  surprise  them,"  said  I,  turning 
to  Zoiloff.  "  Not  so  good  a  chance  as  we  had  just  now, 
but  still  a  chance." 

"  Certainly,"  he  agreed.  "  Catch  them  while  off  their 
guard  and  probably  getting  food  after  their  ride  ;  "  and 
in  less  than  a  minute  we  were  moving  forward  again, 

Markov  riding  on  my  left. 

1 
Just  before  we  came  in  full  view  of  the  house,  Zoiloff, 

Spernow,  and  I  rode  forward  to  reconnoitre  the  ground 
and  plan  the  attack.  The  house  lay  well  situated  for 
such  an  attempt.  We  were  looking  down  on  it  from  a 
slight  hill,  and  on  three  sides  some  fairly  thick  wood 
and  shrubbery  shut  it  in,  in  which  a  couple  of  regi- 
ments could  have  been  posted  had  we  had  such  a  force 
available.  We  could  see  three  or  four  men  in  the  front 
of  the  house  and  in  the  road,  left  to  do  sentry  work ; 
but  they  were  lolling  about  chatting  together,  and  ob- 
viously thinking  of  nothing  less  than  any  such  attack 
in  force  as  we  meditated ;  and,  had  we  dashed  up  the 
road  in  a  body,  it  was  likely  enough  we  could  have 
carried  the  place  before  any  effective  resistance  could 
have  been  offered. 

But  we  formed  a  far  different  plan.  Markov  led  us 
along  the  ridge  of  the  hill  fringed  with  trees  to  a  point 
from  which  we  could  command  a  view  of  the  rear  of 
the  house,  and  then  I  observed  something  that  gave 


260          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

me  an  idea  and  made  my  heart  leap  with  exultation. 
Preparations  were  going  forward  quickly  to  give  the 
soldiers  their  breakfast,  and  I  saw  all  the  things  being 
carried  from  the  house  to  a  low  building  across  a  wide 
yard  that  looked  like  a  barn.  The  soldiers  were 
chaffing  the  women  and  helping  to  carry  the  food  and 
vessels ;  and  in  a  moment  my  plan  was  ready. 

"  We  shall  catch  them  like  rats  in  a  trap,"  I  cried  to 
ZoilofT,  as  I  pointed  this  out  to  him.  "  The  place  is 
made  for  us  and  couldn't  be  better.  We'll  time  our 
visit  when  the  men  are  just  at  breakfast  yonder,  and, 
if  a  couple  of  our  fellows  can  steal  up  unseen,  that  big 
door  can  be  slammed,  and  there  won't  be  more  than 
half  a  dozen  left  for  us  to  deal  with  about  the  house. 
We  shall  cage  the  old  fox  to  a  certainty.  Let  Spernow 
and  two  men  creep  along  this  way  and  down 
under  cover  of  those  trees  to  the  entrance  to  the 
yard,  and  post  themselves  there.  The  main  por- 
tion can  get  to  the  house  through  the  orchard  below 
us  " — and  I  pointed  to  the  spots  I  meant — "  and  we 
shall  be  into  the  place  before  they  even  dream  that  we 
are  near.  Once  we  get  close  to  the  house,  do  you  and 
half  a  dozen  make  for  the  front  and  settle  with  anyone 
there,  making  an  exit  from  the  house  impossible.  I'll 
enter  by  the  back  with  the  rest  of  us  and  square  ac- 
counts with  anyone  inside.  The  horses  must  be  left 
up  here  in  the  woods,  tethered  ;  we  can't  spare  a  man 
to  stay  with  them." 

We  discussed  the  minor  points  of  the  attack,  fixed 
the  moment,  and  left  it  that  Spernow's  closing  the 
door  upon  the  troops  at  breakfast  should  be  the  sig- 
nal. If  things  went  wrong  with  him  and  the  men 
escaped,  we  settled  that  Zoiloff  should,  as  arranged, 
rush  round  to  the  front,  but  that  I  and  the  men  with 


THE  ATTACK  261 

me  should  hasten  to  Spernow's  assistance  and  attack 
the  men  there. 

We  went  back  to  the  rest  of  the  party,  led  them  all 
into  the  wood  on  the  hill  from  where  we  had  made 
our  observations,  had  the  horses  fastened  over  the  hill 
and  well  out  of  sight  of  the  house,  and  then,  with  arms 
all  ready,  crept  back  to  the  edge  of  the  wood  to  wait 
for  the  moment  to  commence. 

The  movement  and  bustle  of  preparation  were  going 
on  briskly  below  ;  the  maids  and  the  men  were  hurry- 
ing and  scurrying  in  all  directions,  and  there  was  such 
stir  and  life  that  it  threatened  to  be  impossible  for  us 
to  creep  down  unseen. 

Gradually  there  came  a  change.  Things  grew 
quieter,  and  presently  the  servant  girls  went  into  the 
house  and  did  not  return.  We  saw  the  soldiers, 
laughing  and  joking,  cross  in  couples  and  threes  to  the 
barn ;  two  of  those  who  had  been  on  guard  in  the 
front  came  running  round,  rested  their  muskets  against 
the  wall  of  the  barn  outside  and  joined  their  comrades 
within ;  and  the  place  was  quiet  and  unguarded.  I 
gave  the  word  to  advance,  and  a  moment  later  we 
began  to  wend  our  way  stealthily  down  the  hill-side, 
closing  gradually  on  the  house.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken,  and  not  a  sound  betrayed  our  presence.  When 
we  reached  the  point  where  Spernow  was  to  leave  us 
to  get  to  the  other  end  of  the  yard,  I  whispered  to  him 
to  take  an  extra  man  in  case  of  emergencies,  and  then 
at  the  head  of  my  men  I  threaded  my  way  up  the  side 
of  the  orchard,  with  Zoiloff  close  in  attendance. 

All  went  well.  We  reached  a  low  mud  wall  that 
parted  the  orchard  from  the  homestead  yard,  and  halted 
there  until  Spernow  should  give  the  signal  by  slam- 
ming-to  the  great  barn  door.  By  peering  through  the 


262          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

branches  of  some  fruit  trees  I  could  see  the  spot  where 
he  was  to  post  himself.  Just  when  all  was  about  in 
readiness,  and  he  and  his  three  men  were  standing  at 
the  end  of  the  barn,  round  the  corner  of  it  fortunately, 
one  of  the  soldiers  came  out,  picked  up  one  of  the 
muskets  leaning  against  the  wall,  and  stood  a  moment 
laughing  and  chaffing  with  those  within.  He  was  one 
of  the  sentries,  and  called  to  those  within  to  be  quick. 
Then,  whistling  carelessly,  he  shouldered  his  weapon 
and  moved  away. 

Moments  were  growing  precious  now.  Would  Sper- 
now  wait  for  the  man  to  disappear  round  the  front  at 
the  risk  that  others  of  the  soldiers  would  finish  and 
come  out,  or  would  he  act  while  the  man  was  in  full 
view  and  take  the  risk  of  a  shot  ?  He  was  in  dire  hesi- 
tation ;  and  I  could  see  him  peep  round  the  corner  of 
the  barn  and  peer  anxiously  after  the  man. 

Then  something  seemed  to  decide  him — he  told  me 
afterwards  he  heard  the  men  in  the  barn  beginning  to 
move — and  with  quick,  stealthy  steps  he  and  his  men 
rushed  to  the  great  door,  slammed  it  to,  and  secured 
it.  The  soldier  was  attracted  by  the  noise,  turned, 
saw  what  had  happened,  raised  an  alarm,  and  was  in 
the  act  of  firing  at  Spernow  when  one  of  the  latter's 
men  shot  him  and  he  fell  to  the  ground. 

At  the  same  time  Zoiloff  called  his  followers  and 
dashed  for  the  front  of  the  house,  while  I,  seeing  that 
all  was  well  with  Spernow,  rushed  to  the  back  door. 
It  was  slammed  in  my  face,  but  a  blow  from  our  guns 
smashed  it  in,  and  after  a  short  delay  AVC  gained  the 
passage. 

All  the  house  was  in  wild  alarm,  and  the  soldiers  in 
it  put  themselves  in  my  way,  offering  a  stubborn  re- 
sistance. But  we  outnumbered  them  by  three  to  one, 


THE  ATTACK  263 

and  after  a  scrimmage  that  was  hot  enough  while  it 
lasted  we  overpowered  them,  struck  their  weapons  from 
their  hands,  bound  them,  and  thrust  them  into  a  room 
in  the  custody  of  a  couple  of  men  with  strict  orders  to 
shoot  if  any  nonsense  was  attempted. 

Our  surprise  was  in  that  respect  completely  and 
triumphantly  successful,  but  in  regard  to  one  of  the 
chief  objects  it  failed.  The  way  which  we  had  chosen 
for  Zoiloff  to  make  his  rush  to  the  front  of  the  house 
was  blocked  by  some  outhouses  which  we  had  not 
seen,  and  he  and  his  men  had  had  to  return  and  run 
round  to  the  other  side.  The  delay  caused  was  not 
long,  but  it  was  fatal,  for  the  first  thing  he  saw  on 
reaching  there  was  General  Kolfort  in  company  with 
a  couple  of  attendants,  presumably  officers,  spurring 
at  topmost  speed  in  the  direction  of  Samakovo.  He 
came  rushing  into  the  house,  his  face  black  in  his  deep 
disappointment,  and  told  me  the  ill  news,  just  as  we 
had  finished  our  scrimmage  with  the  men  inside. 

I  saw  at  once  pursuit  would  be  hopeless.  I  should 
not  have  dared  divide  our  little  party  even  had  there 
been  a  good  prospect  of  overtaking  the  fugitives,  and 
to  send  them  on  a  wild-goose  chase  would  have  been 
worse  than  madness  ;  moreover,  our  horses  were  away 
on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  already  somewhat  spent  with 
the  fierce  ride.  But  it  took  some  moments  to  get 
Zoiloff  to  see  the  uselessness  of  such  an  attempt — 
moments  that  could  ill  be  spared,  seeing  all  that  we 
had  yet  to  do.  But  I  was  firm,  and  he  gave  in  at 
length. 

"  Take  our  men  and  secure  those  fellows  in  the  barn, 
or  we  shall  have  them  breaking  out.  Find  the  best 
horses  you  can,  too,  and  have  them  into  the  carriage 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  I  will  see  the  Princess  and 


264          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

tell  her  to  be  ready  at  once.  We  dare  not  waste  a 
minute  or  all  will  be  lost." 

I  dashed  up  the  stairs,  and  after  searching  a  couple 
of  empty  rooms  found  one  with  the  door  locked. 

"  Are  you  there,  Princess  ?  It  is  I,  Count  Benderoff, ' 
I  cried,  turning  the  key  and  partly  opening  the  door. 

She  answered  me  and  I  entered.  She  was  calm  but 
pale,  with  the  little  Broumoff  at  her  side,  very  agitated 

"  We  have  heard  the  noise,  but  could  see  nothing 
from  here,  and  have  been  filled  with  anxiety  as  to 
what  it  meant.  What  has  happened?"  cried  the 
Princess. 

"  I  can  say  no  more  now  than  that  when  we  heard 
last  night  that  you  had  been  carried  off  we  followed  at 
once,  and  happily  are  now  in  possession  of  the  house  ; 
but  you  must  be  ready  to  fly  at  once." 

"What  of  General  Kolfort?  He  came  here  only  a 
few  minutes  since  and  threatened  me  with  all  the  ter- 
rors of  a  Russian  gaol.  He  was  like  a  madman." 

"  Most  unluckily  he  has  escaped  us,  and  may  return 
at  any  moment  in  force.  Will  you  get  ready  at  once  ? 
Our  only  hope  is  to  make  for  the  frontier  before  we 
can  be  pursued." 

"  I  am  ready  now,"  she  cried,  throwing  on  her  travel- 
ling wraps.  "  Come,  Nathalie,  come,  the  Count  has 
saved  us." 

The  girl  was  dressed  almost  as  quickly  as  the  Prin- 
cess, and  together  we  went  down  to  the  front  to  wait 
for  the  carriage. 

"  Have  you  had  anything  to  eat?  We  have  a  long 
journey  before  us." 

"  I  could  not  think  of  food." 

Without  a  word,  I  got  some  milk  and  cakes  and 
bread,  and  put  them  in  the  carriage,  to  which  Markov 


THE  ATTACK  265 

was  already  harnessing  horses.  Then  I  described  in 
the  fewest  possible  words  what  had  happened,  and 
they  both  listened  in  breathless  interest. 

"And  Michel?"  asked  Mademoiselle  Broumoff 
eagerly. 

"  Is  safe,"  I  answered,  with  a  smile,  "  and  has  be- 
haved splendidly,  like  the  magnificent  fellow  he  is." 

As  soon  as  the  carriage  was  ready  I  told  Markov  to 
draw  out  into  the  road  in  readiness  to  start,  and  I  ran 
through  to  call  off  our  men.  Zoiloff  met  me  excited, 
hot,  and  breathing  hard. 

"  We  have  secured  them  all  right.  I  filed  up  the 
men,  and  when  we  threw  open  the  door  the  caged  men 
were  met  with  a  line  of  muskets.  They  had  no  fight 
in  them,  for  they  had  no  arms.  We  have  bound  every 
man,  and  to  make  pursuit  impossible  I  have  had  every 
horse  in  the  stables  shot.  A  cruel  job,  but  necessary  ; 
and  I  have  brought  away  the  men's  arms.  We  may 
start,  Count.  Our  men  are  already  away  for  their 
horses,  and  will  meet  us  at  that  bend  in  the  road 
above." 

"  Good,"  said  I  ;  but  I  wished  he  had  brought  the 
horses  with  us  for  remounts  instead  of  shooting  them. 

"  Good,  yes  ;  but  much  better  if  that  wily  old  devil, 
Kolfort,  hadn't  slipped  through  my  fingers." 

"What  is  the  route,  Markov?"  I  said,  going  out  to 
him.  "  We  dare  not  return  to  Sofia.  How  can  you 
reach  the  nearest  point  on  the  frontier  road  where  we 
can  get  fresh  horses  for  the  carriage  ?  " 

"  We  must  go  back  to  within  three  miles  of  the  city, 
sir,  and  then  I  can  pick  a  way  round  and  strike  the 
west  road  there." 

"  Don't  keep  on  this  road  for  a  yard  longer  than  is 
absolutely  necessary.  It  is  dangerous.  But  do  your 


266          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

best.  Push  on  with  all  speed.  We  shall  overtake 
you." 

As  I  finished  speaking  Spernow  came  running  from 
the  house  and  rushed  to  the  carriage  window.  I  let 
the  carriage  stand  half  a  minute  that  he  might  ex- 
change a  word  or  two  with  Mademoiselle  Broumoff, 
who  I  knew  was  very  eager  to  see  him,  and  while  they 
were  speaking  the  Princess  looked  out  of  the  window, 
beckoned  Zoiloff,  and  gave  him  her  hand  and  a  word 
of  hearty  thanks  for  all  he  had  done  in  her  behalf. 

It  was  a  thoughtful,  gracious  act,  and  1  was  as  glad 
as  Zoiloff  himself,  who  stood  aside  with  a  flush  on  his 
stern  face  to  let  the  carriage  pass  when  I  gave  the 
word  to  Markov  to  start. 

"  The  fairest  and  best  of  all  women  on  earth,"  he 
said,  enthusiastically,  as  we  three  watched  the  carriage 
dash  up  the  hill  that  led  from  the  house.  "  I  hope  to 
heaven  we  shall  get  start  enough  to  save  her;  "and 
he  glanced  back  anxiously  along  the  road  that  Kolfort 
had  gone,  as  if  he  feared  that  pursuit  might  already  be 
on  foot. 

And  the  same  fear  infected  us  all  as  we  followed  his 
gaze.  But  there  was  no  sign  of  any  pursuit  ;  and  we 
hurried  up  the  hill  to  the  spot  where  the  men  were  to 
meet  us  with  our  horses. 


CHAPTER    XXV 

SUSPENSE 

As  we  three  hurried  up  the  hill  we  discussed  ear- 
nestly our  plans  ;  and  the  supreme  seriousness  of  the 
failure  to  secure  the  person  of  General  Kolfort  grew 
more  vividly  forcible  the  more  we  considered  it. 

We  could  have  held  him  a  prisoner  in  his  own  house 
easily  and  without  creating  any  alarm  at  his  disappear- 
ance. And  the  Princess  could  have  gained  the  frontier 
before  ever  a  question  had  been  asked  as  to  her  where- 
abouts. I  gnashed  my  teeth  as  I  thought  of  it. 

Now,  however,  he  would  raise  the  alarm  at  the  first 
possible  moment.  He  knew  that  we  were  in  consider- 
able force,  and  not  only  could  he  send  troops  after  us, 
but  by  telegraph  he  could  send  instructions  to  have  us 
intercepted  at  any  one  of  a  dozen  points. 

"  Does  anyone  know  where  the  wires  run  from  Icht- 
man  and  Samakovo  to  Sofia?  "  I  asked.  "  If  we  could 
cut  them,  we  might  save  some  hours  when  even  min- 
utes may  be  vital." 

"  Of  course.  Why  didn't  we  think  of  it  before  ?  " 
exclaimed  Zoiloff.  "  I  know  them.  They  run  along 
the  course  of  the  projected  railway.  I  can  find  them 
inside  an  hour.  The  line  is  to  touch  Liublian,  and 
must  run  close  here  somewhere." 

"  Then  take  a  couple  of  men  as  soon  as  we  are 
mounted  and  rattle  off  across  country  and  cut  them, 

and  rejoin  us  with  all  possible  speed.     You  will  easily 

267 


268          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

overtake  the  carriage  ; "  and  the  moment  we  met  our 
men  he  started  to  carry  out  the  plan. 

I  then  arranged  the  order  of  our  ride.  I  left  Sper- 
now  in  command  of  the  greater  number  of  men,  with 
orders  to  follow  in  straggling  formation  until  we  had 
passed  through  Liublian  ;  then  they  were  to  close  up 
and  keep  the  carriage  in  sight.  One  man  was  to  ride 
about  a  mile  or  so  in  the  rear  to  watch  for  any  signs 
of  pursuit.  For  this  work  I  chose  the  man  whose 
horse  was  the  fleetest  and  freshest,  and  ordered  him  to 
keep  a  sharp  lookout  behind  him,  and  at  the  first  sign 
of  anything  wrong  to  gallop  after  us  at  top  speed  to 
give  us  the  earliest  possible  warning. 

I  myself  took  three  men  with  me  and  rode  forward 
at  once,  intending  to  overtake  the  Princess  and  act  as 
immediate  escort. 

I  had  little  difficulty,  unfortunately,  in  getting  up 
with  the  carriage,  for  Markov,  with  all  his  skill  as 
coachman,  was  only  able  to  make  a  very  indifferent 
pace  over  the  villainous  roads.  The  carriage  bumped 
and  rolled  and  jumped  in  the  deep  ruts  and  over  the 
stones  in  a  way  that  filled  me  with  alternate  fear  that 
it  was  travelling  too  fast  for  the  safety  of  the  occu- 
pants, and  of  despair  that  so  slow  a  pace  would  make 
pursuit  an  easy  enough  matter. 

It  was  a  great,  heavy,  lumbering,  travelling  coach, 
built  for  the  comfort  of  those  who  were  content  to 
travel  at  an  easy  rate  ;  and  about  as  little  suited  for  the 
purpose  of  rapid  flight  as  anything  could  be.  I  could 
have  cursed  it,  as  it  lumbered  along  groaning,  creaking, 
straining,  threatening  to  topple  over  at  every  other 
lurch,  and  distressing  the  horses,  powerful  though  they 
were,  until  the  sweat  lathered  on  their  flanks  and 
dripped  on  the  rough,  cruel  road. 

"  Is  there  a  hope  of  getting  any  better  carriage  at 


SUSPENSE  269 

Liublian  ?  "  I  asked  Markov,  riding  up  to  him  as  we 
neared  that  place.  "  We  shall  never  reach  the  frontier 
in  this  thing ;  an  open  cart  would  be  better.  Try  if 
you  can't  get  something.  Steal  it  if  you  can't  hire  or 
buy  it." 

"  The  horses  are  nearly  done  already,  your  Honour," 
said  Markov ;  "  although  we've  only  come  some  seven 
miles.  I'll  try." 

"  You  must  be  quick,"  I  said,  as  I  fell  back  behind 
again. 

Despite  the  very  urgent  need  for  haste,  we  entered 
the  place  driving  very  leisurely,  and  drew  up  at  the 
inn,  when  Markov  and  I  entered  to  make  inquiries. 
We  were  in  luck.  The  man  had  a  comparatively  light 
open  cart  for  sale  and  a  couple  of  strong  young  horses. 
A  few  minutes  found  the  bargain  struck,  and  while  my 
men  were  refreshing  themselves  the  horses  were  put 
in,  and  Christina  and  her  companion  left  the  great  ugly, 
cumbersome  carriage  to  take  their  places  in  the  cart. 

"Could  we  get  peasants'  clothes?"  suggested  Made- 
moiselle Broumoff.  "  Any  kind  of  disguise  might  help 
us."  It  was  a  happy  thought,  and  the  ever  resource- 
ful Markov  acted  on  the  hint  directly,  and  procured 
cloaks  and  headgear. 

"  Better  put  them  on  when  we  are  clear  of  the  place," 
I  decided,  as  Markov  put  the  bundle  into  the  cart. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  find  the  road  to  safety  very 
rough,  Princess,"  I  said  as  I  helped  her  into  the  cart. 
I  had  not  spoken  to  her  since  leaving  the  General's 
house. 

"  I  am  causing  you  all  sore  trouble,"  she  answered, 
smiling  sadly.  "  How  shall  I  ever  thank  you  enough  ?  " 

"  We  shall  have  our  reward  when  we  see  you  safe  in 
Servia." 

"  Ah,    I    ought   to  have    done    what    you    advised 


2/0         IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

yesterday  and  have  gone  then.  All  this  would  have 
been  spared  us." 

"  We  could  not  foresee  what  old  Kolfort  had  planned 
for  last  night.  I  thought  the  road  would  have  been  as 
open  to-day  as  it  was  yesterday." 

"  It  is  like  you  to  lighten  the  blame,  but  it  is  my 
fault." 

"We  are  ready,  your  Honour,"  called  Markov. 

"  Forward  then,"  I  said.  "  Cautiously  out  of  Liu- 
blian,  and  then  press  on  with  all  the  speed  you  can 
make." 

I  mounted,  and  was  in  the  act  of  starting  when  a 
horseman  was  seen  riding  hard  up  the  road  we  had 
come.  It  was  Zoiloff,  and  I  welcomed  him  gladly. 

"  I've  done  it,"  he  said  exultantly.  "  I  don't  know 
whether  there  are  any  other  wires,  but  I've  cut  the 
main  ones,  and  that  will  probably  cause  some  delay. 
But  how  came  you  to  halt  here?  "  he  asked  anxiously. 

I  explained  the  change  of  vehicles,  and  we  rode  on 
after  the  Princess. 

"You  passed  Spernow  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  and  left  my  men  to  follow  with  his.  He  tells 
me  he  is  to  join  you  as  soon  as  he  is  clear  of  Liublian  ; 
he  should  be  near  now ; "  and  he  glanced  back  as  I 
thought  with  some  anxiety. 

*'  We  have  done  well  so  far.  It  was  a  stroke  of  luck 
to  get  rid  of  that  lumbering  old  carriage,"  said  I. 

"  True,  but  we  have  already  been  a  long  time  cover- 
ing very  little  ground,  and  must  press  forward.  Our 
pursuers  won't  sleep  on  the  road.  I'm  surprised  we 
haven't  heard  from  them  before  now." 

It  was  unlike  him  to  meet  alarm  half  way  in  this 
fashion,  but  I  made  no  answer  except  to  urge  my  horse 
to  greater  speed,  so  as  to  close  up  the  distance  between 
us  and  the  Princess. 


SUSPENSE  271 

Markov  was  now  driving  at  a  very  rapid  rate,  the 
road  was  much  better,  and  I  felt  my  spirits  rise  as  we 
covered  the  ground  quickly.  Every  yard  gained  safely 
made  the  prospect  of  escape  more  hopeful. 

"  Spernow  should  have  joined  us  by  now,"  said 
Zoiloff  again  presently,  as  we  were  breathing  the  horses 
up  a  steep  hill. 

"  We  have  been  travelling  much  faster  since  we 
changed  conveyances,  and  his  cattle  may  be  a  bit 
stale,"  I  replied,  trying  to  reassure  him. 

"  I'm  afraid  something's  going  wrong  with  him.  It's 
not  like  him  to  play  the  laggard  in  this  way.  Can  he 
have  been  overtaken  by  Kolfort's  men  and  surprised  ?  " 

"  Scarcely  that.  We've  got  a  picket  thrown  out  be- 
hind and  he'd  have  warning.  If  there  was  any  sign  of 
danger,  I  told  him  to  close  up  with  us  at  once,  so  that 
we  could  make  a  stand  together.  One  or  two  of  the 
horses  may  have  given  out." 

"  I  don't  like  it,"  said  Zoiloff  ;  and  when  we  reached 
the  top  of  the  hill  we  turned  and  looked  back  along 
the  white  road,  searching  eagerly  for  some  sign  of 
Spernow's  coming.  We  saw  nothing,  and  the  doubts 
which  made  Zoiloff's  face  so  grave  began  to  affect  me. 

"  I  am  inclined  to  go  back,"  he  murmured. 

"  We  can't  spare  you,  Zoiloff,"  said  I  quickly.  "  If 
anything  is  wrong  with  him,  you  alone  can  do  no  good  ; 
and  if  anything  is  to  go  wrong  with  us,  we  are  too  few 
already  for  safety." 

"  I  could  find  out  what  it  means." 

"  Or  be  cut  off  yourself ;  "  and  with  that  we  resumed 
our  ride,  my  companion's  face  unusually  gloomy  and 
thoughtful. 

"  How  far  are  we  from  Sofia,  Markov ;  and  when 
do  you  turn  off?"  I  asked,  riding  up  to  him. 

"  About  five  miles  from  the  city,  your  Honour,  a 


272          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

little  more  than  two  from  the  branch  road  I  am  mak. 
ing  for." 

"We've  only  a  few  minutes  more  on  the  main  road, 
I  said,  falling  back  to  Zoiloff ;  "  and,  once  away  from 
it,  our  chances  will  be  fifty  in  a  hundred  better.  It's 
this  road  I've  feared." 

"  Ha  !  Here  comes  news  !  "  exclaimed  my  companion 
suddenly,  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  turning  in  his 
saddle  and  looking  back.  "  And  bad  news  too,"  he 
added. 

A  single  horseman  was  dashing  down  a  hill  behind 
us,  and  as  we  turned  a  number  of  other  horsemen 
reached  the  crest  and  came  streaming  down  the  hill 
after  him,  the  sunlight  glistening  through  the  cloud  of 
white  dust  as  it  fell  on  their  arms. 

"  That  should  be  Spernow  and  our  men,"  said  I 
anxiously. 

"  It  is  Spernow,  but  they're  not  our  men.  I  feared 
it  meant  mischief.  They  are  troopers  ;  and  I  can  count 
a  dozen  of  them.  Tell  Markov  to  drive  like  the  wind. 
They're  after  us." 

A  bend  in  the  road  at  that  moment  cut  off  our  view, 
and  almost  directly  afterwards  Markov  turned  away  to 
the  left  into  a  narrow  lane,  putting  his  horses  to  the 
gallop. 

"  We  shall  have  to  fight  for  it,  Count,"  cried  Zoiloff. 
"  There  didn't  seem  more  than  a  dozen  troopers  that 
I  could  see,  and,  with  Spernow,  we  shall  be  six.  We 
can  hold  them  at  bay  in  this  narrow  lane,  and  perhaps 
drive  them  off." 

At  that  moment  a  loud  shout  of  dismay  came  from 
Markov,  and  we  saw  him  pull  his  horses  up  in  a 
scramble. 

"  What's  the  matter?  "  I  called,  riding  up. 

"  I've  taken  the  wrong  lane,  your  Honour,  cursed 


SUSPENSE  273 

fool  that  I  am,"  he  cried  in  sore  distress.  "  I  know  it 
now ;  there  is  no  outlet.  I  should  have  driven  on  for 
about  five  hundred  yards  farther  ;  "  and  he  backed  his 
horses  as  if  to  turn  them. 

It  spelt  absolute  ruin. 

"  There's  no  going  back,  Markov,"  I  said  decisively. 
I  was  calm  enough  now  for  all  the  trouble. 

"  The  devil !  "  exclaimed  Zoiloff.  "  Well,  we  must 
make  a  fight  of  it." 

"  Stay  a  moment.  Where  does  this  lane  lead, 
Markov  ?  " 

'"  To  a  peasant's  homestead,  with  no  outlet  any- 
where." 

"  Forward  to  that,  then — at  a  gallop.  We  can  hold 
the  house  against  the  men  with  far  better  chances  than 
here,"  I  said  to  Zoiloff.  "  Besides,  they  may  not  have 
seen  us  turn  off  the  road,  and  may  go  on  to  the  next 
turning.  But  what  of  Spernow?  " 

"  He  was  gaining  on  them  fast,  and  will  escape  in 
any  event,"  said  Zoiloff  ;  "  but  it's  a  perilous  fix." 

A  couple  of  minutes  later  we  halted  in  front  of  the 
cottage,  to  the  infinite  surprise  of  the  inmates.  Markov 
knew  them  however,  and  while  he  was  explaining 
things  to  them  the  rest  of  us  set  to  work  to  put  the 
place  in  readiness  to  resist  the  expected  attack. 
Fortunately  it  lent  itself  well  to  the  purpose ;  and, 
long  before  the  peasant  owner  had  been  pacified  with 
a  good  round  sum  of  money,  every  door  and  window 
was  closed  and  barred,  and  the  horses  and  cart  had 
been  stabled  close  to  the  rear  of  the  house  in  a  shed, 
the  door  of  which  we  could  easily  command,  so  as  to 
prevent  anyone  trying  to  steal  off  with  them. 

The  Princess  and  her  companion  were  placed  in  an 
upper  room,  well  out  of  the  danger  of  stray  bullets; 

and,  though  we  were  breathless  with  our  exertions, 
18 


274          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

we  were  quite  prepared  to  give  our  visitors  a  warm 
reception  before  a  sign  of  the  soldiers  or  of  Spernow 
was  visible. 

Both  Zoiloff  and  I  kept  an  anxious  lookout  from  a 
window  in  the  roof  of  the  cottage  which  gave  a  view 
of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  lane  that  led  to  the 
homestead  ;  but  the  minutes  crept  on  until  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  half  an  hour,  an  hour  passed  without  a  sign 
or  trace  of  either  our  friend  or  our  enemies  ;  and,  in- 
deed, until  we  grew  as  anxious  to  see  the  former  as  to 
know  we  had  escaped  from  the  latter. 

What  could  it  mean  ?  Zoiloff  and  I  exchanged  many 
an  anxious  question  and  hazarded  many  futile  guesses. 
I  was  inclined  to  hope  that  the  soldiers  had  not  seen 
us  after  all,  and  that  in  our  little  hiding-place  we  had 
not  only  escaped  them,  but  had  been  overlooked  by 
any  other  parties  that  might  have  been  despatched  in 
search  of  us. 

At  the  end  of  an  hour  I  sent  Zoiloff  down  to  see 
that  food  was  prepared  both  for  the  men  and  for  our 
horses ;  and  when  another  hour  passed  without  any 
sign  of  disturbance  the  hopes  of  all  of  us  began  to 
rise.  The  one  thing  that  had  caused  me  more  anxiety 
than  anything  else  was  the  obstacle  which  daylight 
presented  to  a  successful  flight ;  and  when  noon  came 
and  passed,  and  the  afternoon  shadows  began  to 
lengthen,  I  was  glad  enough  ;  for  every  hour  that  passed 
diminished  the  risk  and  increased  our  chances  of 
getting  to  the  frontier  unseen  in  the  darkness  of  the 
night. 

Moreover,  the  rest  was  just  what  the  horses  needed  ; 
and  thus  on  both  accounts  the  hanging  hours  of  safety 
on  that  hot  summer's  day  were  doubly  precious  to  us. 
Markov  was  certain  that  under  the  cover  of  the  night 
he  could  find  his  road  unerringly  ;  and  though  his  blun- 


SUSPENSE  275 

der  in  the  morning  had  at  first  caused  such  a  panic  and 
had  shaken  my  confidence  in  his  knowledge,  I  was 
ready  to  believe  him  now. 

"  I  could  drive  it  blindfolded,  your  Honour,"  he  said 
earnestly,  when  I  questioned  him.  "  I  know  every 
house,  and  cottage,  and  tree,  almost  every  bump  in  the 
road — more  than  that,  I  could  find  my  way  secretly 
across  the  country  were  every  road  and  bridle-path 
choked  with  armed  men.  It  is  my  own  country  ! "  he 
exclaimed  vehemently. 

"  How  long  will  it  take  you  ?  " 

"  It  is  fifty  miles  from  the  frontier  to  the  first  place 
where  I  can  get  fresh  horses,  and  perhaps  fifteen  from 
here  to  that — at  the  outside  say  seventy  miles.  I  can 
do  it  in  seven  hours  with  such  horses  as  are  waiting  for 
me  at  every  stage — probably  less." 

"  You  will  be  ready  to  start  as  soon  as  it  is  dusk,"  I 
told  him,  and,  as  the  afternoon  passed,  I  went  to 
acquaint  the  Princess  with  our  plans. 

"  You  have  left  us  long  alone,  Count,"  she  said  with 
a  smile.  "  And  I  have  needed  you  sorely.  Nathalie 
here  is  in  distress  for  news  of  Lieutenant  Sper- 
now." 

"  You  may  feel  assured  on  his  account,"  I  said  to  the 
girl,  who  was  very  pale  and  troubled.  "  When  we  saw 
him  last  he  was  gaining  rapidly  on  his  pursuers,  and 
was  not  at  all  likely  to  fall  into  their  hands." 

"  But  where  is  he  ?  Why  have  you  no  news  of  him  ?  " 
she  wailed. 

"  Probably  he  knows  no  more  than  our  enemies 
where  we  are.  But  he  is  safe.  Both  Captain  Zoiloff 
and  I  are  convinced  of  that."  Her  fears  were  not  to 
be  stayed  by  words,  however,  and  in  truth  I  myself 
had  more  than  a  misgiving  on  his  account. 

The  Princess  was  eager  for  the  moment  to  come  when 


276          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

she  could  start,  and  would  have  set  out  at  once  had  I 
not  told  her  of  the  far  greater  security  which  darkness 
would  afford. 

"  What  time  is  it  now  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Just  past  four.  At  seven,  or  soon  after,  we  may 
venture  to  start ;  and  if  all  goes  well,  as  Heaven  grant 
it  may,  you  will  be  across  the  frontier  and  in  safety 
before  the  sun  rises  again." 

''  I  shall  owe  it  to  you,"  she  said,  "  as  indeed  I  owe 
so  much  already." 

"  Not  more  to  me  than  to  all  here  with  us.  Indeed, 
this  blessing  of  a  shelter  at  the  very  nick  of  time  we 
owe  to  the  accident  of  Markov's  blunder.  We  may 
well  forgive  him  such  a  happy  mistake." 

"  Would  you  have  me  think  I  owe  nothing  to  you  ?" 
she  asked  in  a  low  voice,  looking  at  me  with  a  glance 
of  love. 

"  Perhaps  I  may  answer  that  question  at  a  future 
time,"  I  returned  in  the  same  low  tone.  She  blushed 
and  dropped  her  eyes  and  was  silent. 

In  the  silence  I  heard  the  sounds  of  some  commo- 
tion in  the  house  below,  and  I  started  uneasily. 
"  Something  has  happened ;  I  must  go  and  see  what 
it  means!''  I  exclaimed;  and  with  a  hasty  excuse  I 
hurried  away. 

Something  had  indeed  happened,  for  at  the  bottom 
of  the  stairs  I  found  Spernow  and  Zoiloff  in  excited 
talk.  I  called  them  up,  arid  together  we  entered  the 
Princess's  room,  that  he  might  tell  us  the  story  of  his 
experiences,  and  relieve  at  once  the  anxiety  of  his 
sweetheart. 

On  seeing  him  she  jumped  up  and,  regafdless  of  our 
presence,  threw  herself  into  his  arms. 

"Are  you  really  safe,  Michel?"  she  asked,  gazing 
into  his  face  with  a  look  I  could  understand  readily, 


SUSPENSE  277 

and,  laughing  and  crying  by  turns,  she  plied  him  with 
a  hundred  questions. 

His  story  was  of  deep  interest  and  moment  to  us, 
and,  though  I  was  in  full  mood  to  sympathise  with  the 
lovers,  I  was  eager  to  hear  it. 

"  I  can  tell  my  story  in  a  very  few  words,"  he  said 
at  length,  turning  to  us.  "  Just  after  we  left  Liublian 
we  were  attacked  by  a  party  that  outnumbered  us  by 
five  to  one.  Our  man  in  the  rear  galloped  up  to  warn 
us  as  you  had  ordered  him,  Count,  but  the  troops  were 
right  on  his  heels,  and,  as  our  horses  were  anything 
but  fresh,  I  dared  not  risk  a  race  in  the  effort  to  reach 
you.  I  determined  to  fight  it  out  there  and  then,  but 
from  the  first  we  hadn't  a  chance.  The  troops  fired 
not  at  us,  but  at  the  horses,  until  only  two  of  us  were 
left  mounted.  The  rest  you  can  gather.  We  had 
never  a  chance.  My  men  resisted  as  long  as  resistance 
was  possible,  but  one  after  another  they  were  sur- 
rounded, disarmed,  and  secured.  When  all  was  lost 
we  two  fled,  but  some  dozen  of  the  troops  came  prick- 
ing after  us.  My  companion's  horse  was  shot ;  but 
almost  by  a  miracle  neither  my  horse  nor  myself  was 
touched,  though  the  firing  was  heavy  enough.  When 
I  came  down  that  hill  yonder,  I  saw  you,  and  saw  you 
turn  into  the  lane.  In  a  moment  I  knew  the  mistake 
you  had  made,  for  I  know  this  country  to  a  yard,  and 
it  occurred  to  me  to  pass  the  entrance  to  the  lane  in  the 
hope  that  the  troops  behind  me  had  not  seen  you.  I 
made  for  the  next  turning,  therefore — that  which  you 
should  have  taken  but  happily  did  not — and  to  my  in- 
tense relief  the  men  behind,  thinking  no  doubt  that  I 
was  following  you,  followed  me.  The  rest  was  easy 
enough.  My  horse  was  fleeter  than  theirs,  and  I  led 
them  a  dance  at  a  rattling  speed  for  some  ten  miles. 
Then  I  dismounted,  and,  giving  my  horse  a  whack 


278          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

with  my  hand,  sent  him  on  without  me,  while  I  slipped 
into  some  bushes  and  waited  for  the  men  to  pass. 
They  did  this,  swearing  prettily,  as  you  may  imagine, 
and  as  soon  as  they  had  gone  by  I  set  off  across  country 
in  a  bee-line  for  this  place,  thinking  it  not  unlikely  that 
you  would  take  refuge  here  for  a  while.  And  here  I 
am,  and  that's  all." 

Our  congratulations  poured  upon  him,  and  then 
Zoiloff  and  I  went  away,  that  he  and  the  little  Brou- 
moff  might  be  together.  It  was  the  best  reward  we 
could  make  him  just  then. 

"  Those  men  will  try  back  when  they  find  he's  fooled 
them,"  said  Zoiloff,  "  and  we  had  better  be  ready." 

"They'll  have  to  come  soon,"  said  I,  "  or  they'll  find 
the  nest  empty  and  the  birds  flown." 

"  They've  over  two  hours  yet,"  he  returned  drily, 
and  together  we  went  back  to  our  watch-window  in  the 
roof,  giving  orders  that  the  house  was  to  be  kept  as 
silent  as  if  it  were  deserted. 

The  minutes  were  weighted  now  with  the  old  fears 
and  suspense,  and  scarce  a  word  passed  between  my 
staunch  friend  and  myself.  And  when  we  spoke  it  was 
in  a  whisper,  as  though  the  men  had  already  come. 
For  an  hour  more  nothing  occurred  to  disturb  us,  and 
once  again  the  flame  of  hope  began  to  kindle.  But  it 
was  only  to  be  ruthlessly  quenched. 

When  a  glance  at  my  watch  told  me  that  an  hour 
and  a  quarter  had  gone  by  we  saw  that  which  made  us 
start  and  draw  breath  quickly. 

Two  troopers  came  riding  slowly  up  the  lane,  look- 
ing carefully  to  right  and  left  as  they  approached. 
The  peasant's  dog  barked  loudly,  and  at  the  sound  they 
stopped,  and  peered  curiously  at  the  house.  Then  they 
advanced  until  they  stood  close  to  the  yard-gate,  and 
both  stared  at  the  house  and  spoke  together. 


SUSPENSE  279 

We  held  our  breath  in  suspense. 

The  closed  doors  and  shutters  puzzled  them,  and 
after  a  few  moments  one  of  them  dismounted,  handed 
the  reins  of  his  horse  to  his  companion,  pushed  open 
the  gate,  and  walked  up  towards  the  house. 

At  that  moment  fortune  served  us  a  scurvy  trick. 
Down  below  a  roar  of  laughter  broke  out  among  our 
men,  loud  enough  to  reach  us. 

The  soldier  heard  it  too. 

We  heard  him  strike  a  lusty  summons  on  the  door 
panels  and  call  to  those  within.  Then  everything  was 
as  still  as  the  grave. 

The  man  knocked  again,  and  when  the  door  re- 
mained unopened  he  went  back  to  his  companion, 
mounted  his  horse,  and,  giving  some  instructions,  set 
off  up  the  lane  at  a  quick  canter.  The  second  man 
drew  back  into  the  shade  of  a  tree  and  waited,  keeping 
his  eyes  warily  upon  the  house  all  the  while. 

"We  may  as  well  get  the  men  posted,"  said  Zoiloff. 
"  That  fellow  will  be  back  in  a  minute  with  all  there 
are  with  him.  We're  in  for  a  scrimmage." 

He  went  down  at  once  to  give  the  necessary  orders, 
while  I  stayed  to  watch. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait.  In  a  few  minutes  I  heard 
the  advancing  footfalls  of  horses,  and  a  number  of 
troopers  came  swinging  up  the  lane  at  the  trot.  I 
counted  thirteen  in  all,  and  thanked  Heaven  there 
were  no  more. 

But  it  meant  fight,  and  I  saw  the  man  in  command 
of  the  party  taking  his  observations,  and  giving  his 
instructions  to  those  under  him  to  surround  the  house. 

There  was  no  need  for  me  to  watch  longer.  There 
would  soon  be  plenty  of  other  work  on  hand. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

A  FORLORN   HOPE 

I  LEFT  the  window  and  hurried  down  to  tell  the 
Princess  the  bad  news.  Spernow  was  still  there,  sitting 
apart,  exchanging  love  confidences  with  Mademoiselle 
Broumoff,  and  they  all  started  up  at  my  sudden 
entrance. 

"  The  troops  have  found  us  out,  Princess,  and  there 
will  probably  be  some  trouble  before  we  get  rid  of 
them  and  shake  them  off.  I  wish  to  impress  upon  you 
the  necessity  for  you  to  remain  close  in  the  corners  of 
the  room  for  fear  of  mishap.  Spernow,  will  you  go  to 
Captain  Zoiloff  ?  He  is  below  with  the  men." 

The  Princess  took  the  news  very  calmly. 

"  Do  you  think  they  will  attack  the  house  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  I  fear  so — or,  rather,  I  hope  so ;  for,  if  not,  we 
shall  have  to  attack  them,  and  I  would  rather  act  on 
the  defensive." 

"There  will  be  danger  for  you,"  she  said  earnestly, 
looking  into  my  eyes.  "You  will  be  careful — for  my 
sake  ;  "  and  she  laid  her  hand  on  mine. 

"  I  hope  it  will  not  be  serious,  and  I  will  be  careful," 
I  replied  smiling.  "  But  we  must  not  be  beaten." 

"  I  trust  no  blood  will  be  shed — no  lives  sacrificed. 
I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  that." 

"  We  can  have  no  thought  but  your  safety." 

"  But  can  we  not  be  of  some  use — Nathalie  and  I  ?  " 
280 


A  FORLORN  HOPE  281 

"  I  fear  not,  at  present.  But  if  there  is  need,  de- 
pend upon  it  I  will  not  fail  to  ask  you.  Come, 
Spernow." 

"  Michel,  let  me  have  a  gun.  I  would  rather  be  by 
your  side  than  cooped  up  here  in  suspense,"  cried  the 
girl  with  great  spirit,  holding  her  lover's  hand.  "  Now 
that  you  are  with  us  I  am  not  afraid." 

"  We  have  not  come  to  that  yet,  Mademoiselle,"  I 
said,  liking  her  spirit  and  courage.  "  You  need  not  be 
afraid.  We  are  quite  strong  enough  behind  these  walls 
to  cope  with  the  few  men  against  us.  But  we  must 
go." 

Christina  pressed  my  hand  again,  and  her  lips  mur- 
mured a  prayer  for  my  safety. 

Zoiloff  had  been  busy  enough  with  his  preparations, 
and  when  we  reached  him  had  posted  his  men.  He 
had  done  a  shrewd  trick  on  leaving  General  Kolfort's 
house,  and  had  brought  away  with  him  the  men's  car- 
bines with  a  quantity  of  ammunition.  These  were  now 
distributed  in  the  rooms  from  which  the  work  of  de- 
fence was  to  be  carried  on ;  and  he  explained  that  his 
object/  was  to  create  the  impression  that  we  were  a 
much  more  numerous  party  than  in  reality. 

"  We  can  fire  volleys  from  the  different  windows  in 
very  rapid  succession,  and  they'll  think  the  place  is 
alive  with  men,"  he  said.  "  But  the  main  work  must 
be  done  from  the  windows  of  each  room  on  the  floor 
above  us.  There  are  two  in  the  front  room  and  one  at 
the  back,  and  we  can  from  there  command  the  ap- 
proach to  the  front  and  back  doors,  and  could  hold  the 
place  against  four  times  the  number." 

We  went  to  the  front  room  and  looked  ouc. 

The  soldiers  were  taking  matters  very  leisurely. 
Evidently  they  were  confident  that  they  would  have 


282          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

no  serious  difficulty  in  carrying  the  house,  even  if  we 
were  inside,  of  which  they  still  seemed  to  have  doubts. 

The  leader  was  only  a  non-commissioned  officer — a 
troop  sergeant — and  he  appeared  to  be  at  a  loss  what 
to  do.  He  was  consulting  with  the  two  men  who  had 
ridden  up  first,  and  all  three  were  gesticulating  freely 
as  they  pointed  to  different  parts  of  the  house  and 
yard. 

The  longer  they  debated,  and  the  more  time  they 
wasted,  the  better  for  us.  If  they  would  only  let  the 
afternoon  steal  away  and  twilight  come,  we  could  in 
the  last  resource  make  a  sally,  have  a  brush  at  close 
quarters,  and  then  trust  to  our  horses  to  save  us. 

"  Zoiloff,  I  have  a  plan,"  I  said,  as  an  idea  struck 
me.  "  That  man  has  made  a  fool's  mistake.  Every 
horse  there  is  in  full  view,  and  can  be  picked  off  easily. 
Let  our  first  volleys,  when  it  comes  to  firing,  be  for 
the  horses.  Before  the  men  even  guess  our  intention, 
every  horse  will  be  killed  or  disabled,  and  not  only  will 
the  men  be  unable  to  follow  us,  but  prevented  from 
riding  for  help." 

"  Good !  "  he  cried.  "  We'll  have  every  man  at 
these  two  windows,  and  each  man  shall  pick  out  his 
own  target.  A  couple  of  rounds  well  aimed  and  the 
thing's  done.  But  someone  must  keep  a  lookout  at 
the  back." 

"  Nathalie  will  do  that,"  said  Spernow  eagerly  ;  and 
he  went  at  once  to  ask  her,  while  the  men  were  brought 
into  the  room  and  their  orders  given  to  them.  We 
waited,  watching  closely  for  the  commencement  of 
hostilities. 

"  They  don't  like  the  look  of  things,"  whispered 
Zoiloff,  smiling  grimly,  "  and  don't  know  what  to  do 
or  how  to  start.  Ah,  now  they've  settled  something," 


A  FORLORN  HOPE  283 

he  added  as  the  leader  came  towards  the  house,  knocked 
at  the  door,  and  called  in  a  loud  voice  for  it  to  be 
opened. 

No  answer  was  given,  of  course,  and  after  he  had 
repeated  his  summons  he  called  : 

"  If  the  door  is  not  opened  we  shall  break  it  in." 

Getting  no  reply,  he  returned  to  his  men,  and  sent 
four  of  them  round  to  the  back  of  the  house.  Then 
one  of  the  men  called  his  attention  to  something  at 
the  side  of  the  yard,  and  eight  of  them  went  and  picked 
up  a  heavy  balk  of  timber  lying  there. 

"  They're  going  to  use  it  as  a  battering-ram,"  said 
Zoiloff.  "  We  must  stop  that." 

"  Wait,"  I  said  quickly.  "  When  they  are  in  posi- 
tion I'll  warn  them,  and  through  the  open  windows  we 
can  then  shoot  the  horses.  Remember,  men,  level 
your  guns  first  at  the  men,  and  when  I  tell  you,  aim 
at  the  horses,  and  shoot  straight." 

The  timber  was  heavy,  the  afternoon  hot,  the  men 
fatigued  and  with  no  great  zest  for  the  business,  so 
that  they  took  a  long  time  before  they  had  brought  it 
round  near  the  door. 

Then  I  threw  up  the  window  sharply,  and  called,  in 
a  ringing  voice  : 

"  Stop  !     We  sha'n't  allow  that." 

Looking  up,  the  troopers  found  themselves  covered 
by  the  guns  of  our  party,  and,  dropping  the  timber, 
they  rushed  like  hares  for  cover — all  save  the  leader, 
who  flung  curses  at  them  for  their  cowardice. 

"  Now  fire,"  I  said  ;  and,  levelling  my  rifle,  I  picked 
out  a  horse,  and  we  fired  our  first  volley. 

"  Quick  !  again  !  "  and  a  second  volley  rang  out. 

The  effect  was  indescribable.  Five  horses  fell  at 
the  first  round,  and  the  rest  stampeded  and  plunged  so 


284          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

violently  that  any  accurate  aim  the  second  time  was 
very  difficult.  Only  three  fell,  but  the  rest  broke  from 
their  fastenings  in  a  very  frenzy  of  fear  and  galloped 
wildly  off,  plunging  across  country  at  a  speed  that  made 
any  thought  of  pursuit  hopeless. 

The  men  started  to  follow  them,  but  were  recalled 
by  the  leader,  and  came  slinking  back  to  cover  like 
whipped  dogs. 

The  loss  of  the  horses  was  not  their  only  misfortune, 
however,  for  in  getting  the  log  they  had  set  down  their 
carbines  near  the  gate  in  a  spot  which  we  could  cover 
with  our  guns.  Seeing  this,  I  .called  again  : 

"The  man  who  touches  one  of  those  guns  will  be 
shot  ! " 

The  sergeant  had  plenty  of  pluck,  and,  though  sorely 
perplexed  by  the  turn  things  had  thus  suddenly  taken, 
was  as  cool  as  if  he  had  been  on  parade. 

"What  do  you  want  here?"  I  cried. 

"  I  want  to  know  who's  in  the  house,"  he  said. 

"  I  am.     What  next  ?  " 

"Who  else?" 

"  I  decline  to  say." 

"  Will  you  surrender  without  causing  any  more 
trouble  ?  "  he  asked  coolly. 

"  If  you  ask  that  again,  you'll  stand  a  good  chance 
of  asking  no  more  questions  in  this  world,"  said  I  drily. 
"  You  had  better  draw  off  your  men  while  they  are 
still  unhurt." 

"  You  can't  hope  to  beat  us  off,"  he  said  doggedly. 

"  We  can  try."  At  the  reply  he  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders. 

"  If  you  resist  you  must  take  the  consequences,"  he 
called. 

"  I  am  quite  prepared  for  that." 


A  FORLORN  HOPE  285 

He  turned  away  then  as  if  to  walk  back  to  his  men, 
but  I  saw  him  start ;  and  then  he  did  a  really  plucky 
thing,  like  the  daring  devil  he  evidently  was.  When 
he  was  half-way  towards  his  men  he  made  a  quick 
rush  to  the  guns  and  tried  to  snatch  them  up  in  his 
arms  and  bolt  with  them  to  cover.  It  was  wasted 
courage.  A  couple  of  guns  rang  out,  Zoiloff's  for  one, 
and  the  man  rolled  over  with  a  groan,  shot  through  the 
leg,  with  the  carbines  scattered  round  him. 

His  men  made  no  effort  to  go  near  him,  and  so  long 
an  interval  of  inaction  followed  that  I  began  to  hope 
the  struggle  was  already  over  before  it  had  well  begun. 

"  Lucky  we  shot  those  horses,  or  we  should  have  had 
half  the  scoundrels  bolting  for  reinforcements,"  mut- 
tered Zoiloff. 

"You'd  better  see  what  the  men  at  the  back  are 
after,"  I  said ;  and  even  as  I  spoke  the  little  Broumoff 
came  running  excitedly  to  tell  us  they  were  trying  to 
get  our  horses  from  the  shed  behind. 

Zoiloff  hurried  out  with  a  couple  of  men,  and  a  mo- 
ment later  I  heard  an  exchange  of  shots. 

"  Run  and  see  what  has  happened,  Spernow,  and  let 
me  know,"  I  said,  and  in  a  couple'of  minutes  he  returned 
to  say  all  was  well,  and  that  Zoiloff  had  wounded  one 
of  the  men  and  scared  them  off.  They  had  made  for 
the  side  of  the  house,  he  told  me,  and  had  been  joined 
by  the  rest  of  the  troopers  ;  unfortunately  there  was 
no  window  at  the  side,  so  that  we  could  neither  watch 
nor  threaten  them. 

Another  long  interval  passed  without  the  troopers 
making  a  sign  of  any  kind,  and  I  judged  that  their  in- 
tention was  simply  to  keep  watch  until  reinforcements 
could  come  up,  and  guessed  that  they  had  sent  one  or 
more  of  the  men  away  on  foot  in  search  of  help. 


286          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

It  was  now  past  six  o'clock,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  it  would  be  safe  to  make  a  start.  I  went  to 
Zoiloff  to  consult. 

My  plan  was  to  make  a  rush  upon  the  men  and  drive 
them  away  sufficiently  far  to  admit  of  our  horses  being 
put  in  the  cart,  and  then  risk  the  chances  of  flight.  He 
agreed  readily,  for  the  inaction  was  vastly  less  to  his 
mind  than  any  righting,  and  we  made  our  preparations 
accordingly. 

"  We  are  seven  to  their  nine  or  ten,  say.  The  leader 
lies  there  wounded,  you  have  disabled  a  second  man, 
and  they  have  sent  away  probably  two  and  certainly 
one  ;  and  as  we  are  armed  and  they  are  not,  and  we 
shall  catch  them  unawares,  we  can  certainly  beat  them 
off.  We  must  then  get  the  horses  ready  and  be  off. 
The  sun's  low  now,  and,  as  there  is  a  mist  rising,  it  will 
be  dark  enough  for  our  purposes  long  before  seven. 
And,  anyway,  we  can't  wait  here  to  be  trapped  like 
rabbits  as  soon  as  they  succeed  in  bringing  up  rein, 
forcements." 

We  set  to  work  at  once.  The  barricade  of  the  back 
door  was  removed  quietly  and  we  all  mustered  by  it  in 
silence. 

"  Silence  till  we  are  outside,"  I  whispered.  "  Then 
with  a  rush  fall  on  them  with  more  noise  than  force, 
and  scare  and  drive  them  off." 

I  lifted  the  latch  noiselessly  and,  opening  the  door, 
stepped  out,  followed  by  the  rest.  Then  with  a  loud 
shout  we  rushed  round  the  house  and  caught  the  men 
as  they  stood  smoking  and  talking,  expecting  nothing 
less  than  an  attack  from  us. 

They  fled  like  chaff,  helter-skelter  in  all  directions, 
not  venturing  even  a  pretence  at  resistance.  The  two 
or  three  who  had  guns  attempted  to  fire,  but  we  struck 


A  FORLORN  HOPE  287 

up  their  arms  and  they  fled  as  incontinently  as  the 
rest. 

We  made  a  show  of  pursuit,  but  it  was  no  more  than 
a  show,  and  then  all  hands  turned  to  the  work  of  get- 
ting the  horses  harnessed  and  saddled.  Meanwhile  the 
mist  was  rising  fast,  and  promised  to  form  a  welcome 
veil  to  our  flight. 

As  a  precaution  I  told  one  of  our  men  to  ride  some 
distance  along  the  lane  to  see  that  the  road  was  clear, 
although  I  had  no  doubt  that  the  troopers  had  been 
effectively  disposed  of ;  and  I  went  to  fetch  the  Prin- 
cess and  Mademoiselle  Broumoff.  All  was  ready  and 
we  were  in  good  heart,  when  the  man  I  had  sent  out 
came  scampering  back  with  news  that  filled  me  with 
sudden  consternation. 

He  had  seen  a  large  body  of  horse  soldiers  at  the  end 
of  the  lane  on  the  high  road,  and  with  them  were 
several  of  the  men  we  had  just  beaten  off. 

I  heard  the  news  with  genuine  anguish  of  soul.  We 
were  hemmed  in.  The  absence  of  any  outlet  except  by 
the  lane  made  escape  absolutely  hopeless,  and  for  a 
moment  I  was  borne  down  with  despair. 

"  We  can  only  make  a  forlorn  hope  of  it,"  said  Zoiloff. 
"  Charge  them  and  try  to  make  off  in  the  confusion." 

I  bit  my  lip  and  racked  my  brains  in  the  effort  to 
find  some  other  than  this  useless,  desperate  scheme, 
and  then  suddenly  a  light  beamed  through  the  dark- 
ness. 

"  Markov,  can  you  find  your  way  across  the  fields  at 
the  back  here  to  the  road — on  horseback  I  mean  ?" 

"  Yes,  certainly,  your  Honour,  but  with  the  cart " 

"  Zoiloff,  good  friend,  we  must  part  now.  There  is 
only  one  way.  You  and  Markov  must  ride  with  the 
Princess  on  horseback,  escaping  by  the  back  across  the 


288          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

fields  till  you  strike  the  road.  I  must  go  in  the  cart 
with  Mademoiselle  Broumoff,  if  she  is  brave  enough  to 
risk  this  for  the  Princess  ;  "  and  I  looked  at  her  eagerly. 

"  I  will  do  anything,"  she  assented  readily. 

"  It  will  make  them  think  that  only  we  six  were  in 
the  house  here ;  that  Mademoiselle  Broumoff  is  the 
Princess,  and  that  we  are  making  the  rush  to  escape 
after  the  fight  just  now." 

"  I  cannot  consent  to  that,"  said  Christina  earnestly. 
"  You  will  be  going  to  certain  capture." 

I  drew  her  aside  from  the  rest  to  urge  her,  and 
Zoiloff,  understanding  things  with  the  quick  instinct 
of  a  friend,  led  them  out  of  the  room  on  the  plea  of 
hastening  the  preparations. 

As  soon  as  we  were  alone  she  threw  off  all  reserve, 
putting  her  hands  on  my  shoulders  and  gazing  at  me 
with  glowing  eyes. 

"  Do  you  press  me  to  do  this  ?  "  she  pleaded. 

"  I  must ;  it  is  your  only  hope  of  safety,  and  a  des- 
perate one  at  the  best." 

"  You  love  me — Gerald  ?  " 

At  the  sound  of  my  name,  spoken  prettily  in  trem- 
ulous hesitation,  I  felt  the  blood  rush  to  my  face. 

"  With  my  whole  heart,"  I  cried  hoarsely. 

"  Do  not  send  me  from  you,  then ;  I  urge  you,  by 
our  love.  Let  us  face  what  has  to  come  together.  I 
could  meet  death  with  you,  but  without  you  I  am  a 
coward.  I  cannot  go." 

"  You  must  go,  Christina,"  I  said  in  a  low  voice,  and 
scarcely  steadier  than  her  own. 

"  It  is  sending  you  to  death,  Gerald.  I  cannot  do  it. 
I  could  not  live  if  harm  came  to  you  through  me." 

"  No  such  harm  as  that  can  come.  But,  for  God's 
sake,  think.  If  we  remain  together  now  it  cafi  be  but 


A  FORLORN  HOPE  289 

for  a  few  minutes.  If  we  fell  into  these  men's  hands, 
their  first  act  would  be  to  separate  us.  You  must  go, 
my  darling,  you  must." 

She  gave  a  deep,  heavy,  sobbing  sigh,  and  let  her 
head  fall  on  my  shoulder. 

"  It  is  worse  than  death  to  go  alone  like  this." 

"  It  is  our  only  chance  fora  happier  life.  You  must 
go,  and  even  these  moments  of  delay  are  imperilling 
everything.  You  must  go — and  at  once.  God  knows 
how  gladly  I  would  have  you  stay  with  me  if  I  dared." 

"  Then  go  with  me.     Captain  Zoiloff  will "    The 

look  on  my  face  checked  the  sentence.  "  Oh,  I  cannot 
part  with  you,  I  cannot  ! "  She  moaned  in  such  agony 
that  my  heart  ached.  "  We  may  never  meet  again." 

"  We  shall  meet  again  with  you  in  safety,  do  not 
fear,"  I  said,  trying  to  put  a  ring  of  hope  into  my 
voice,  though  my  heart  echoed  her  cry.  "  You  must 
go,  my  dearest ; "  and  I  began  to  lead  her  to  the  door, 
for  every  moment  now  might  turn  the  balance  between 
safety  and  capture. 

As  I  moved  she  threw  herself  into  my  arms  and 
clung  to  me  convulsively.  I  held  her  to  my  heart; 
her  face  was  close  to  me  ;  my  lips  sought  hers,  and 
our  very  souls  seemed  to  rush  together  in  that  kiss. 

"  Till  death,  Christina,"  I  whispered  passionately. 

"  Till  death,  Gerald,"  she  answered ;  and  then  with 
a  long,  trembling  sigh  she  drew  from  me.  "  Oh,  how 
hard  is  fate  !  " 

"  Come,  sweetheart,"  I  said  ;  and  without  another 
word  I  led  her  out  to  the  horses,  to  where  good  Zoiloff 
was  waiting  with  gloomy  growing  impatience. 

I  lifted  her  tenderly  to  the  saddle,  and  with  a  last 
yearning  look  and  a  lingering  pressure   of  the  hand  I 
turned  away,  sick  and  sad  with  the  sorrow  of  it  all. 
'9 


290          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

Zoiloff  was  mounted  by  then,  and  I  wrung  his  hand. 

"  Guard  her  with  your  life,  friend." 

"  With  my  life,"  he  answered  to  the  full  as  earnestly 
as  I. 

The  plucky  little  Broumoff  was  already  in  the  cart, 
with  Spernow  close  to  her,  and  in  another  moment  I 
was  by  her  side. 

There  was  still  no  sign  of  any  troopers,  and  as  for 
my  scheme  it  was  necessary  that  they  should  see  us,  I 
led  my  party  round  to  the  front. 

"  When  you  hear  the  sound  of  our  wheels,  steal  off 
at  once,  and  make  across  the  fields  there  for  the  road," 
I  said,  as  a  last  word  ;  "  you  will  be  out  of  sight  in  the 
mist  before  the  men  have  a  thought  that  we  are  not 
all  together.  Good-bye,  and  may  God  speed  you  ! " 

"  Amen  to  that,"  came  in  Zoiloff's  deep  voice,  and 
for  the  last  time  I  met  Christina's  eyes. 

When  I  reached  the  front  of  the  house  I  waited  a 
moment,  listening  intently,  and  then  hearing  the  sound 
of  horsemen  coming  up  the  lane  I  started  my  horses, 
and  as  soon  as  we  were  through  the  gate  I  whipped 
them  and  dashed  along  the  lane  at  a  smart  gallop, 
just  as  the  foremost  couple  of  troopers  loomed  into 
sight  through  the  shroud  of  the  white  mist. 


CHAPTER     XXVII 

A  FRIEND  IN  NEED 

ALTHOUGH  I  was  certain  that  we  were  rushing 
straight  upon  inevitable  capture,  I  still  had  it  in  my 
mind  to  make  a  strenuous  dash  to  get  through  the 
soldiers,  and  I  flogged  the  horses  vigorously,  and  told 
my  companion  to  cling  hard  to  her  seat,  for  the  cart 
swayed  and  bumped  and  jolted  over  the  rough  road  in 
a  manner  that  threatened  to  send  us  sprawling  into  the 
lane  at  every  second. 

"  Draw  that  hood  over  your  face  to  conceal  it  as 
much  as  possible,  and  remember  if  we  are  caught  I 
shall  address  you  as  '  the  Princess,'  "  I  said  to  my 
companion.  "  I  can't  tell  you  now  what  I  think  of 
your  courage." 

She  did  what  I  asked,  and  her  features  were  so  con- 
cealed that,  had  the  troopers  known  the  Princess  by 
sight,  they  could  not  have  seen  it  was  not  she  by  my 
side. 

The  first  party  numbered  under  a  dozen  men,  and 
as  we  approached  they  made  no  effort  to  stop  us,  but 
drew  their  horses  aside  and  let  us  pass. 

"  Are  they  following  us  ? "  I  asked  anxiously,  for 
that  would  be  the  test  whether  my  ruse  was  to  fail  or 
succeed. 

The  girl  glanced  back. 

"Yes.  They've  closed  in  behind  and  are  galloping 
after  us." 

••.91 


292          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

''Thank  God  for  that!  "  I  cried  ;  and  I  laid  the  whip 
on  the  horses  again  till  they  were  travelling  at  head- 
long, desperate,  racing  speed. 

Then  in  the  mist,  as  we  neared  the  end  of  the  lane, 
I  saw  the  main  body  drawn  up  in  a  mass  completely 
blocking  the  road.  They  had  evidently  heard  us 
coming  and  were  prepared  for  us,  and  they  sat  on  their 
horses  with  their  carbines  levelled. 

"  Halt  there  !  or  we  fire,"  shouted  someone. 

But  he  might  as  well  have  shouted  to  a  mountain 
torrent  to  stop,  for  my  horses  were  smarting  under  the 
whip  I  had  laid  on  so  generously,  and  no  driver  on 
earth  could  have  stayed  their  wild  rush.  Indeed,  the 
words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  lips  before  we  plunged 
madly  right  into  the  midst  of  them,  scattering  them 
to  right  and  left  and  sending  them  cannoning  one 
against  the  other  in  the  utmost  confusion. 

The  officer  in  command  had  formed  them  in  a  bad 
order  for  such  a  reckless  charge  as  ours.  The  chief 
strength  was  at  the  sides,  and  in  the  middle,  where  our 
horses  by  luck  carried  us,  the  line  was  only  two  deep. 

The  check  was  thus  but  momentary.  There  was  a 
violent  shock  as  we  dashed  against  the  first  horseman  ; 
my  horses  stumbled  and  I  thought  would  fall.  My 
companion  and  I  were  jerked  violently  forward  nearly 
on  to  their  backs,  but  in  a  second  and  scarcely  with  a 
pause  they  recovered,  and  before  I  could  realise  what 
had  happened  we  were  through  the  ranks  and  clear  of 
them,  with  Spernow  and  another  man  close  behind  us 
and  dashing  along  again  with  barely  abated  fury  for  the 
main  road. 

"  Lie  down  on  the  floor  of  the  cart ;  they  may  fire 
after  us,"  I  cried.  The  next  instant  the  guns  rang  out 
and  the  bullets  came  whistling  past  our  ears.  But  the 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  293 

aim  was  bad,  and  the  jolting  and  swaying  of  the  cart 
as  it  lunged  over  the  ruts  helped  us. 

"Are  you  all  right,  Spernow?"  I  called  over  my 
shoulder. 

"Yes,  but  I  am  alone.  The  two  behind  me  were 
stopped  in  that  business  just  now,  and  the  other  has 
just  gone  down.  By  God,  it  was  splendidly  done, 
Count.  But  they're  streaming  after  us  in  full  cry." 

I  was  nearing  the  corner  now,  and  remembered  the 
sharp  awkward  turn  with  something  of  a  shudder.  I 
did  not  care  which  way  we  went ;  but  the  cattle  knew 
the  road  and  seemed  to  care,  for  they  turned  for  their 
old  stables  at  Liublian  with  a  swerve  that  tilted  the 
cart  to  such  an  angle  that  it  was  nothing  less  than  a 
miracle  that  we  did  not  upset. 

It  righted,  however,  and  once  on  the  main  road  we 
darted  off  on  our  mad  flight  at  a  speed  which  made  the 
misty  air  sting  my  face  with  rushing  damp  in  it. 

I  was  right  glad  that  we  had  turned  that  way.  The 
men  behind  would  be  sure  to  think  I  had  taken  it  pur- 
posely, and  thus  we  should  draw  off  pursuit  from 
Christina  effectually,  and  every  mile  that  we  could 
now  contrive  to  cover  meant  two  miles'  start  for  her. 

The  race  could  not  continue  for  long.  I  knew  that, 
and  knew,  too,  how  it  must  end  unless  some  unforeseen 
accident  happened  ;  but  I  meant  to  make  the  most  of 
the  opportunity  to  lead  the  men  as  far  from  Christina 
as  possible,  and  with  this  object  I  flogged  the  horses 
until  they  flew  along  like  things  possessed  at  such  a 
speed  that  Spernow,  though  he  was  well  mounted, 
could  hardly  keep  up  with  us. 

In  this  reckless  way,  up  hill  and  down  at  the  same 
headlong,  breakneck  pace,  our  limbs  and  lives  at  hazard 
with  every  bad  bit  of  road  we  covered,  we  raced  for 


294          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

some  miles  till  we  came  to  the  foot  of  a  steep  hill, 
which,  I  remembered,  was  as  long  as  it  was  steep.  The 
horses  charged  at  it  in  the  same  gallant,  desperate  way, 
but  our  pursuers  had  now  gained  on  us  and  were  clos- 
ing up  fast. 

They  had  not  fired  another  volley,  and  though  at 
first  I  wondered  at  this,  and  could  not  guess  the  cause 
I  was  soon  to  learn  it.  When  we  turned  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Liublian  they  knew  that  we  could  not  escape 
them,  and  were  content  to  ride  us  down  or  wait  till  we 
ran  against  some  other  body  of  troops.  The  hill  now 
helped  them,  for  the  wild  pace  had  distressed  my  horses 
until  they  began  to  falter  at  the  steep  ascent,  breathing 
hard.  I  flogged  them  unmercifully  ;  I  would  have  every 
yard  out  of  them  that  was  to  be  got,  because  it  meant 
a  yard  longer  start  for  Christina ;  but  my  heart  was 
sore  for  the  brutes,  for  they  had  made  a  valiant  effort. 

Before  we  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill  the  troops 
were  up  with  us,  and  the  leader,  pointing  ahead,  called 
to  me  to  surrender. 

"You  had  better  give  up  the  struggle,  Count  Bend- 
eroff,"  he  said,  riding  abreast  of  me.  "  We  have  an- 
other  body  of  men  at  the  top  there." 

But  I  was  fighting  for  yards,  and  my  answer  was  to 
cut  the  horses  desperately  with  the  whip,  so  that  they 
sprang  forward  again  with  a  last  frantic  effort.  The 
man  rode  to  the  nearest  horse,  and,  drawing  his  re- 
volver, placed  it  close  to  the  animal's  head. 

"  I  shall  be  sorry  to  fire,  but  if  you  don't  stop  I  shall 
have  no  alternative,"  he  called. 

"  Shall  we  yield  ?  "  I  said,  turning  to  the  little  Brou- 
moff,  who  had  maintained  her  seat  unflinchingly,  and 
pretending  to  consult  her,  while  I  whispered,  "  Keep 
your  face  well  concealed." 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  295 

She  nodded,  and  I  drew  the  horses  to  a  standstill. 

"  We  yield  only  under  protest,"  I  said. 

"  I  am  glad  you  spared  me  an  unpleasant  job,"  re- 
plied the  officer,  putting  his  revolver  away,  and  salut- 
ing the  "  Princess."  "  Your  animals  have  made  a  magnifi- 
cent struggle,  but  you  have  been  racing  all  the  time 
toward  certain  capture,  Count  Benderoff.  Escape 
from  the  first  moment  was  hopeless."  We  waited  then 
in  silence  while  his  men  drew  up  and  surrounded  us. 
"  Will  you  drive  Her  Highness  intoLiublian  ?" 

All  the  horses  were  greatly  distressed,  and  we  waited 
a  few  minutes  for  them  to  recover,  and  then  went  for- 
ward at  a  slow  pace.  I  had  been  anxious  to  hurry 
before,  but  now  I  kept  my  animals  at  the  walk,  and 
halted  more  than  once  on  the  steep  hill.  It  was  my 
cue  now  to  waste  as  much  time  as  possible  before  the 
identity  of  my  companion  should  be  discovered,  and  I 
thought  with  glee  of  the  long  start  which  Christina 
would  have. 

At  the  top  of  the  hill  the  other  soldiers  met  us, 
and  the  two  officers  spoke  together  for  a  minute,  dis- 
cussing the  incidents  of  our  capture.  Then  we  went 
forward  again  at  a  very  slow  pace. 

We  reached  Liublian  an  hour  and  a  half  after  leav- 
ing the  homestead  ;  and  there  again  fortune  favoured 
us.  No  one  was  there  to  recognise  my  companion,  and 
we  had  to  push  on  to  General  Kolfort's  house,  still  at 
a  slow  pace,  for  I  declared  my  horses  were  so  beaten 
they  could  not  travel  beyond  a  walk.  I  managed  to 
occupy  another  hour  over  the  drive,  and  with  this  start, 
which  meant  nearly  five  hours  to  Christina,  I  felt  hope- 
ful she  would  reach  the  frontier  safely.  My  ruse  had 
succeeded  far  beyond  my  best  hopes. 

As  we  drew  up  at  the  General's  house,  I  smiled  to 


296          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

myself  as  I  pictured  his  fury  at  the  discovery  ;  but  he 
was  not  there.  He  had  returned  hastily  to  Sofia,  I 
overheard ;  but  the  place  was  packed  with  troops,  and 
he  had  left  some  drastic  orders  for  our  disposal. 

I  helped  the  plucky  little  BroumorT  from  the  cart 
with  a  very  deferential  air  and  led  her  into  the  house, 
Spernow  in  close  attendance.  They  took  us  into  a 
room  on  the  ground  floor,  where  three  officers  awaited 
us,  one  of  them  being  Captain  Wolasky,  who,  to  my 
surprise,  gave  no  response  to  my  start  of  recognition. 

A  chair  was  placed  for  the  "  Princess,"  and  she  was 
shrewd  enough  to  seat  herself  so  that  the  light  of  the 
lamp  left  her  face  in  the  shadow.  I  could  have  laughed 
at  the  comedy  underlying  the  situation,  but,  assuming 
a  tone  of  hot  indignation,  I  exclaimed  : 

"  I  demand  to  know  the  reason  why  I  am  subjected 
to  this  infamous  treatment !  What  is  the  meaning  of 
this  arrest  ?  " 

The  man  in  the  centre  of  the  three  looked  up 
angrily : 

"  It  is  not  in  my  instructions  to  give  you  any  such 
needless  information,  sir.  You  must  be  fully  aware 
of  what  you  have  done.  You  are  the  Count  Ben- 
deroff?" 

"  I  am  the  Hon.  Gerald  Winthrop,  as  well  as  the 
Count  Benderoff,  and  a  British  subject." 

"  Englishmen  are  much  too  prone  to  meddle  in  mat- 
ters that  don't  concern  them,  and  must  be  prepared  to 
take  the  consequences,"  he  answered  drily. 

"  There  may  also  be  consequences  for  those  who 
meddle  with  them,"  I  returned  hotly;  and  with  the 
object  of  provoking  him  into  a  personal  dispute  so  as 
to  waste  more  time,  I  poured  out  a  volume  of  protests 
and  objections,  together  with  loud  and  angry  demands 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  297 

for  a  specific  charge ;  and  in  this  way  prolonged  the 
wrangle  for  many  minutes. 

He  ordered  me  at  length  to  be  silent,  under  threat 
of  packing  me  out  of  the  room,  and  then  he  turned  to 
the  "  Princess." 

"  I  much  regret,  Princess,  to  have  to  put  you  to  in- 
convenience, but  my  instructions  are  imperative.  You 
will  have  to  remain  in  this  house  for  the  night ;  but 
arrangements  have  been  made  for  your  personal  com- 
fort, and  to-morrow  General  Kolfort's  intention  will  be 
explained  to  you." 

She  made  no  reply  other  than  to  bow,  as  if  in 
acquiescence. 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  remove  your  disguise,"  he  said 
next,  just  as  I  was  hoping  she  would  even  then  escape 
recognition.  She  made  no  attempt  to  comply  with 
the  request,  and  it  was  repeated  in  a  sharper  tone. 

She  turned  to  me  as  if  to  ask  what  to  do,  and,  seeing 
the  end  had  come,  I  broke  in  : 

"  This  is  another  of  your  ridiculous  proceedings,"  I 
said  warmly.  "  Not  only  am  I  personally  treated  in 
this  outrageous  manner,  but,  because  I  am  seen  driving 
on  the  highway,  you  must  needs  conclude  that  the 
Princess  Christina  is  with  me.  It  is  shameful." 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  cried  the  officer  hastily. 

"  Simply  that  this  young  lady  is  no  more  the  Princess 
Christina  than  you  are.  You  may  as  well  draw  your 
hood  back  to  show  the  mistake,"  I  added  to  Mademoi- 
selle Broumoff,  who  did  so  then,  to  the  complete  con- 
sternation of  all  the  three  officers.  I  could  have 
smiled  at  their  utter  bewilderment. 

"  Where  is  the  Princess  Christina  ?  "  asked  the  chief 
sternly. 

"  We  are  at  least  as  anxious  as  you  can  be  on  that 


298          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

point,"  I  answered.  "  If  your  men  make  blunders  of 
this  kind,  and  don't  know  the  difference  between 
her  Highness  and  her  friends,  who  can  tell  where 
she  is?" 

"  You  will  find  it  a  hazardous  work  to  play  tricks  on 
us!  "  he  cried  furiously. 

"  I  play  tricks  on  you,  indeed  1  It  is  you  who  seem 
to  be  amusing  yourselves  with  us,"  I  said,  with  an  in- 
solent laugh.  "  But  you  will  have  to  answer  for  it,  I 
promise  you." 

"  Silence  !  "  he  shouted  ;  and  I  shrugged  my  shoul- 
ders and  threw  up  my  hands  in  response. 

He  muttered  some  hurried  instructions  to  Captain 
Wolasky,  who  left  the  room  to  carry  them  out.  I 
glanced  at  my  watch.  It  was  a  quarter  to  ten  ;  three 
hours  since  Christina  had  started,  and  I  calculated 
that,  if  all  had  gone  well,  she  would  be  at  least  two 
stages  to  the  frontier,  and  beyond  hope  of  pursuit  by 
any  troops  that  could  now  be  despatched  after  her. 
For  aught  else  I  cared  nothing. 

I  edged  close  to  Spernow,  and  managed  to  whisper 
to  him : 

"  If  you  get  a  chance  try  to  steal  off,  you  two,  in 
the  confusion  ;•"  and  just  as  I  had  said  this  Captain 
Wolasky  came  back  with  a  file  of  soldiers,  and  the 
officer  at  the  table  ordered  them  to  lead  me  away. 

"  You  have  your  orders,  Captain  Wolasky,"  he  said 
in-  sharp,  peremptory  tones,  and  I  was  led  away, 
Wolasky  following  me. 

He  took  me  out  through  the  hall,  now  thronged  with 
soldiers,  to  the  front  of  the  house,  where  a  small  troop 
of  horsemen  were  drawn  up ;  and  then,  halting  at  a 
spot  where  the  light  of  a  lamp  fell  full  upon  his  face,  he 
looked  at  me  with  a  peculiar  expression  in  his  eyes 


"I   RODE   BETWEEN    TWO    TROOPERS.' Page 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  299 

which  I  did  not  understand,  and  said  in  an  unneces- 
sarily harsh,  strident  tone : 

"  You  have  played  us  too  many  tricks  for  me  to  dare 
to  take  your  parole  not  to  escape,  sir ;  and  if  you 
are  treated  with  indignity  you  have  yourself  to  blame 
for  it.  Bind  the  prisoner's  hands  behind  him ! "  he 
said  roughly  to  a  couple  of  men  near  ;  and  a  murmur 
of  approval  came  from  the  troopers  standing  around, 
mingled  with  a  good  deal  of  strong  Russian. 

"  I  protest  against  the  outrage !  "  I  shouted,  and 
commenced  to  struggle.  It  was  useless,  of  course, 
and  I  was  held,  and  my  hands  fastened  behind  me. 
"  Where  am  I  being  taken  ?  I  demand  to  know." 

"I'll  demand  you,"  said  Wolasky,  in  a  voice  of  pas- 
sion ;  and,  seizing  me,  he  pushed  me  forward  to  where 
a  horse  stood  riderless. 

"  Excuse  this  farce,"  he  whispered  ;  "  but  it  is  neces- 
sary ; "  and  he  covered  the  whisper  with  a  loud  impre- 
cation and  abuse  of  me.  I  was  so  astonished  that  I 
forgot  to  resist.  "  Struggle,"  he  whispered  again  ;  and 
then  I  set  to  work  to  play  my  part  with  a  will,  and 
fought  and  struggled  so  desperately  as  they  were  forc- 
ing me  to  mount,  that  the  Captain  appeared  to  lose 
his  temper,  and  struck  at  me,  taking  care,  however, 
that  the  blow  spent  itself  in  the  air. 

"Watch  him,"  he  ordered,  "and  at  the  least  sign  of 
treachery,  shoot  him  like  a  dog.  It  doesn't  matter 
whether  he  reaches  Tirnova  alive  or  dead,  so  long  as 
he  does  reach  there  ;  "  and  again  some  of  the  soldiers 
clustered  about,  laughed  and  oathed  in  evident  glee. 

I  rode  between  two  troopers,  whose  horses  were  fas- 
tened to  mine  by  light  chains  attached  to  the  bits, 
while  each  man  held  a  rein  ;  and,  as  we  started  in  this 
alarming  fashion,  some  ruffian  shouted  after  us  to  keep 


300          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

the  "  damned  English  dog  safe  on  the  chain."  "  Tie 
his  legs  under  the  horse's  belly,  and  he'll  keep  on,  dead 
or  alive,"  cried  another;  and  a  burst  of  ribald  laughter 
followed,  in  which  those  about  me  joined. 

In  this  fashion  we  rode  through  Liublian,  struck  off 
to  the  right,  and  soon  after  began  the  ascent  of  a  steep 
hilly  country,  which  made  the  travelling  very  slow. 
We  moved  at  no  more  than  a  walking  pace  all  the 
time,  making,  as  I  judged,  about  four  miles  an  hour  ; 
but  we  kept  on  all  through  the  night,  arid  did  not  halt 
until  the  sun  was  up,  and  we  reached  a  small  village, 
where  we  dismounted  and  had  breakfast. 

I  was  overpowered  with  fatigue,  and  so  soon  as  I 
had  eaten  the  food  brought  to  me  I  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep.  In  about  three  hours  I  was  awakened  and  the 
march  resumed.  The  sun  was  overpowering,  and 
towards  midday  a  halt  was  called  under  some  trees. 
Here  again  I  slept,  and  when,  in  the  late  afternoon,  I 
awoke,  I  was  vastly  refreshed,  and  began  to  think  about 
the  chances  of  escape. 

I  had  been  treated  all  the  time  with  the  sternest 
measures.  The  Captain  did  not  come  near  me ;  and, 
when  we  halted,  my  legs  were  bound  before  my  hands 
were  liberated  for  me  to  take  any  food.  The  country 
was  of  course  entirely  strange,  and  when  I  asked  a 
question  of  the  men  on  either  side  of  me  they  ordered 
me  with  an  oath  to  be  silent. 

When  the  sun  was  getting  low  in  the  afternoon 
Captain  Wolasky  reined  up  to  my  side,  and,  pointing 
to  a  road  we  passed,  he  said  in  a  jeering,  insulting  tone, 
but  with  the  same  expression  I  had  noticed  on  his  face 
the  night  before : 

"  That's  the  road  you'd  like  to  take,  Mr.  Count  Eng- 
lishman ;  feast  your  eyes  on  it,  for  you  won't  see  it 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  301 

again,  I  promise  you.  See,  it  leads  to  Sofia  over  yon- 
der ;"  and  he  pointed  far  away  over  the  hills  to  where 
the  sun's  rays  were  shining  on  some  distant  buildings. 

I  looked  eagerly  enough,  for  I  thought  I  understood 
him,  and  I  began  to  pay  special  heed  to  the  road  along 
which  they  took  me. 

"It's  prettier  scenery  than  Tirnova,"  he  cried,  with 
another  loud  jeering  laugh,  as  he  went  on  again  to  lead 
the  party. 

After  that  we  travelled  on  a  fairly  level  road  for 
about  two  miles,  when  another  halt  was  called  for  the 
soldiers'  evening  meal.  My  legs  were  tied  as  before, 
and  a  good  meal  brought  to  me,  and  in  moving  to  put 
away  the  cup  and  platter  I  noticed  that  my  legs  were 
fastened  so  loosely  that  I  could  slip  them  out  in  a 
moment. 

The  dusk  had  fallen,  and  the  mist  risen,  so  that  the 
whole  party  were  enveloped  in  gloom,  and  I  heard  the 
Captain  say  to  the  men,  who  were  sitting  at  a  short 
distance  from  me : 

"  We've  a  long  night  ride,  and  I  shan't  halt  again 
before  dawn.  You'd  better  snatch  an  hour's  sleep." 

I  saw  in  a  moment  that  the  whole  thing  had  been 
arranged  cleverly  for  my  escape,  and  that  the  Captain 
himself  had  told  me  in  his  insulting  tone  the  road  I  must 
make  for.  I  threw  myself  back  and  pretended  to  sleep, 
and  the  man  on  guard  over  me — a  fat,  heavy  fellow, 
whom  the  fatigue  of  the  ride  had  already  worn  out — 
first  satisfied  himself  that  I  was  as  sound  asleep  as  I 
was  when  we  had  halted  previously,  and  then  curled 
himself  up  to  follow  my  example. 

With  the  greatest  care  I  drew  my  legs  out  of  their 
bonds  and  sat  up.  The  men  were  breathing  heavily  in 
deep  slumber,  while  the  fellow  close  to  me  was  snoring 


302          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

vigorously  I  glanced  around,  and  just  above  me  on 
the  road  I  should  take  was  the  Captain's  horse  tethered 
alone.  He  was  by  far  the  fleetest  and  best-blooded 
animal  in  the  troop,  and  once  on  his  back  I  could  laugh 
at  pursuit.  That  he  had  been  left  there  was  due  to  no 
accident,  I  was  convinced  ;  and  stealthily,  inch  by  inch, 
holding  my  breath  in  my  excitement,  I  began  to  crawj 
toward  him. 

I  reached  him  unnoticed,  and,  stroking  his  neck,  1 
cast  off  the  tether,  and  led  him  away  for  a  few  paces 
along  the  soft  turf.  All  was  dead  silence  in  the  little 
camp  of  sleepers,  and  in  the  murky  mist  I  could  see 
nothing  of  them  and  they  could  see  nothing  of  me. 

I  led  the  horse  until  I  reckoned  to  be  out  of  earshot, 
and  then  mounted  and  set  off  at  a  canter,  keeping  on 
the  turf  as  long  as  possible. 

Suddenly  a  loud  shout  behind  me  from  the  men  an- 
nounced that  the  fact  of  my  escape  had  been  discov- 
ered, and,  driving  my  heels  into  the  horse's  side,  I 
dashed  off  at  a  rapid  gallop  for  the  road  which  Captain 
Wolasky  had  said  was  the  road  to  Sofia.  I  found  it 
without  difficulty,  of  course,  and  paused  a  moment  at 
the  turning  to  listen  for  signs  of  pursuit. 

I  could  hear  nothing,  but  resolved  to  make  the  best 
of  my  start,  and  galloped  off  at  a  pace  which  showed 
the  splendid  quality  of  the  animal  under  me. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

A    FEARSOME    DILEMMA 

As  I  plunged  along  in  my  wild  ride  through  the 
quickly  darkening  gloom,  I  began  to  take  stock  of  my 
position  and  shape  some  kind  of  plans.  Beyond  the 
statement  that  the  lane  would  lead  me  to  Sofia,  I  had 
not  a  notion  of  where  I  was,  and  the  twists  and  turns 
of  the  road  along  which  I  was  galloping  madly  soon 
caused  me  to  lose  all  knowledge  of  the  direction  in 
which  Sofia  lay. 

But  this  did  not  trouble  me  very  much.  I  was  mounted 
on  a  splendid  animal ;  I  was  armed,  for  I  found  the 
Captain's  revolver  in  the  holster ;  and  I  had  money  in 
my  pockets  enough  to  more  than  serve  any  needs 
likely  to  arise. 

I  did  not  much  fear  any  serious  pursuit.  The  same 
timely  friendship  which  had  led  Captain  Wolasky  to 
venture  so  much  for  me  would,  I  was  sure,  suffice  to 
induce  him  to  lead  the  pursuit  in  any  direction  but 
that  which  he  knew  I  should  take ;  and  after  I  had 
covered  a  few  miles  I  halted  and  listened  again  for  any 
sounds  of  followers.  There  was  not  a  sound,  and  after 
that  I  determined  to  proceed  leisurely,  and  so  spare 
my  horse  for  any  effort  should  I  stumble  across  any 
patrolling  party  of  troops. 

My  wish  was,  of  course,  to  push  for  the  frontier; 
but,  as  the  city  lay  between  me  and  the  west  road,  and 
as  moreover  I  knew  neither  how  to  find  a  way  round 

3°3 


304          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

the  city,  and  thus  avoid  the  risk  of  crossing  it,  nor  my 
road  to  the  frontier,  should  I  ever  be  able  to  get 
through  Sofia  safely,  I  was  much  puzzled  what  course 
to  take. 

I  could  of  course  trust  to  the  chance  of  being  able 
to  make  inquiries  as  I  went,  but  there  was  so  much 
risk  in  such  a  course  that  I  feared  it.  If  I  was  to  get 
through  safely,  I  knew  I  must  ride  for  the  most  part 
at  night,  because  the  daylight  spelt  a  double  danger  to 
me.  It  was  practically  certain  that  the  main  road 
would  be  infested  by  Kolfort's  men,  and  the  chances 
of  my  being  able  to  evade  them  all  were  infinitesimal. 

Another  scheme  suggested  itself  to  me — hazardous, 
no  doubt — but  possibly  not  so  dangerous  as  the  alter- 
native. Markov  had  given  me  a  plan  of  his  route  to 
the  frontier,  with  a  list  of  the  places  and  persons  where 
he  had  arranged  for  the  relays  of  horses  ;  but  in  the 
confusion  and  hurry  of  my  departure  from  Sofia  I  had 
left  this  behind  me.  It  was  not  of  much  consequence 
so  long  as  he  had  been  present  to  act  as  guide,  but 
without  him  it  had  become  of  vital  importance.  My 
present  idea  was  therefore  to  risk  a  return  to  my  own 
house,  get  the  paper,  which  was  locked  up  in  a  secret 
cabinet  in  my  library,  and  perhaps  remain  hidden  in 
the  house  during  the  following  day,  setting  out  on  my 
journey  to  the  frontier  when  darkness  came  to  help 
me. 

The  obstacle  to  the  scheme  was,  of  course,  the  possi- 
bility that  my  house  might  be  in  the  possession  of 
Kolfort's  agents,  and  that  I  might  run  my  head  into  a 
trap.  But  the  house  contained  so  many  secret  ways 
and  passages  that  this  risk  was  greatly  lessened  ;  and  I 
reckoned  that  I  could  at  least  effect  an  entrance  without 
being  discovered,  and  if  I  found  the  project  impossible 


A  FEARSOME  DILEMMA  305 

could  leave  it  again.  In  any  case,  the  possession  of 
the  plan  of  route  was  so  essential  to  me  under  the 
circumstances  that  I  made  up  my  mind  to  run  the  risk 
of  the  venture. 

I  had  first  to  find  my  way  to  the  city,  however,  and 
in  this  I  was  singularly  fortunate.  I  had  ridden  some 
three  or  four  hours  when  the  moon  rose,  and  soon 
afterwards,  to  my  intense  satisfaction,  my  cross  road 
came  out  at  a  point  which  I  recognised  as  being  some 
four  or  five  miles  from  my  house.  I  quickened  my 
pace,  therefore,  riding  very  warily,  and,  wherever  pos- 
sible, cantering  on  the  turf,  until  I  came  out  on  the 
heath  which  was  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  under- 
ground passage  leading  under  my  grounds.  I  would 
not  trust  myself  to  use  that  because  its  secret  was 
known  to  Kolfort's  agents ;  but  I  chose  a  path  which 
led  me  to  another  gate  of  the  garden. 

I  dismounted  there,  unlocked  the  gate,  drew  my 
horse  under  the  shadow  of  some  trees,  fastened  him, 
and,  thrusting  the  revolver  into  my  belt  for  use  in  case 
of  need,  crept  forward  to  reconnoitre  the  house. 

Every  window  at  the  back  was  in  darkness,  even  to 
the  kitchens,  and  the  place  seemed  empty  and  deserted. 
Keeping  well  within  the  shadow  of  the  walls,  I  stole 
round  with  the  utmost  caution  to  the  front,  taking 
care  that  every  footfall  should  be  deadened  by  either 
the  turf  or  the  soft  mould  of  the  flower  beds. 

In  the  front  there  was  a  faint  light  from  one  window  ; 
a  carriage  stood  in  the  roadway,  and,  near  the  gates 
opening  from  the  drive,  I  saw  one  or  two  moving 
shadows  of  men. 

The  carriage  surprised  and  startled  me.  Obviously 
someone  was  taking  a  keen  interest  in  my  concerns, 
and  was  inside  the  house  ;  and  I  had  to  consider 
20 


306          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

whether  I  dared  to  venture  any  further  with  my  plan 
in  the  face  of  such  added  danger.  A  minute's  thought 
determined  me  to  proceed,  however.  What  I  had 
feared  was  the  presence  of  a  fairly  large  number  of 
men  holding  possession  of  the  house  ;  but  there  was 
no  sign  of  this,  and  if  only  one  or  two  attendants  were 
with  this  visitor,  whoever  it  might  be,  they  would  not 
have  an  easy  task  to  capture  me,  while  I  should  not 
have  a  difficult  one  to  avoid  them. 

At  the  side  where  I  stood  there  was  a  small  open- 
ing into  a  passage  that  led  straight  to  my  library,  and, 
unlocking  it  very  softly,  I  entered,  and  stole  along  it 
on  tiptoe,  feeling  my  way  by  the  wall  in  the  pitchy 
darkness.  There  were  several  doors  leading  off  from 
the  narrow  passage  to  different  parts  of  the  house,  and 
at  each  of  these  I  stood  and  listened  intently,  ventur- 
ing to  unlock  one  or  two  of  them  with  my  master-key. 
In  this  way  I  was  able  to  satisfy  myself  that  not  a  soul 
was  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  and,  assured  by 
this  knowledge,  I  crept  up  the  stone  staircase  that  led 
to  the  library. 

The  need  for  absolute  silence  on  my  part  increased 
with  every  step,  and  when  I  reached  the  top  I  drew  off 
my  heaving  riding  boots  and  moved  at  a  snail's  pace, 
my  stockinged  feet  making  no  noise  whatever. 

The  entrance  to  the  passage  from  the  room  had  been 
masked  very  cleverly.  It  was  formed  by  a  revolving 
panel  in  the  wall,  which  swung  on  well-oiled  pivots  and 
opened  behind  a  sham  cabinet,  through  the  painted 
glass  doors  of  which  care  had  been  taken  to  allow  of 
anyone  who  stood  in  the  cabinet  both  hearing  and 
seeing  all  that  went  on  in  the  room.  I  moved  the 
panel  inch  by  inch  with  infinite  care  and  caution,  and 
as  I  did  so  heard  the  sound  of  voices. 


A  FEARSOME  DILEMMA  307 

I  started,  and  almost  lost  my  presence  of  mind  as  I 
recognised  the  deep,  gruff  tone  of  General  Kolfort, 
followed  by  the  soft,  dulcet,  seductive  laugh  of  the 
Countess  Bokara.  Passing  noiselessly  through  the 
panel,  I  entered  the  cabinet,  and  the  sight  that  met 
my  eyes  made  me  almost  cry  out  in  astonishment. 

The  wily  old  Russian  had  for  once  met  more  than 
his  match.  He  was  seated  in  a  chair  with  his  arms 
fastened  behind  the  back  of  it,  staring  up,  with  leaden 
face  and  fear-filled  eyes,  into  the  face  of  the  woman 
who  stood  over  him  with  a  long,  deadly-looking  dagger 
in  her  raised  hand,  passion  and  hate  blazing  in  her 
eyes,  and  making  the  blade  tremble  in  her  grasp  so 
that  the  light  quivered  and  danced  on  the  steel  as  the 
taunting,  scoffing  words  flowed  volubly  from  her  lips. 

"  Yes,  you  are  to  die.  I  lured  you  here  for  the  pur- 
pose— lured  you,  as  you  say,  with  lies  about  the  secret 
proofs  of  this  Count's  guilt  which  I  could  put  into 
your  hands.  A  single  movement,  and  my  blade  strikes 
home  to  its  sheath  in  your  treacherous  old  heart !  " 

The  words  came  through  her  clenched  teeth,  and 
she  looked  a  very  she-devil  as  she  gloated  over  her 
helpless  and  cowering  victim.  He  might  well  cower, 
for  if  ever  the  lust  for  human  blood  was  written  on  a 
human  face,  it  was  there  in  every  line  of  hers. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  he  asked  at  length. 

"  Nothing  but  revenge.  Nothing  but  that  you  shall 
feel  before  you  die  some  of  the  pain  and  horror  you 
and  your  cursed  agents  and  spies  have  made  my  Prince 
endure  for  months  past ;  nothing  but  to  know  that  at 
last  our  accounts  are  squared,  and  what  you  tried  and 
failed  to  do  with  me  I  have  tried  and  succeeded  in 
doing  with  you  ;  nothing  but  your  life,  murderer  !  " 

"  You  can  name  your  own  terms,"  he  said  again  ;  and 


308  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

I  saw  him  glance  about  him  as  if  in  desperate  search  of 
some  faint  hope  of  escape  from  the  menacing  knife. 
She  saw  the  glance  too,  and  laughed,  a  fiend's  laugh, 
scornful,  sneering,  and  utterly  loathsome. 

"  You  may  look  where  you  will,  but  you  remember 
your  own  condition — alone  in  the  house.  Alone,  that 
you  might  not  be  seen  with  me,  or  perhaps  might  trap 
me  with  more  of  your  damnable  treachery.  Well, 
you've  had  your  way,  and  we  are  alone  ;  but  it's  the 
trapper  who  is  trapped,  the  spider  who  is  caught  in  his 
own  web.  I'm  glad  you  are  afraid  of  death.  I  thought 
it  would  be  so,  you  are  so  prompt  and  quick  to  order 
the  deaths  of  others.  And  now  you  want  to  find  proofs 
that  will  enable  you  to  have  this  Englishman  put  out 
of  your  way,  something  to  give  a  colour  to  your  order 
for  his  removal ;  and  when  your  men  had  searched  here 
and  found  nothing  strong  enough,  you  swallowed  the 
bait  I  put  to  you,  to  guide  you  to  the  place  where  you 
should  find  all  you  wanted  and  more." 

"  He  is  no  friend  of  yours." 

"  What  is  that  to  me  ?  You  are  my  enemy,  and  here 
helpless  in  my  power.  The  great,  powerful,  ruthless, 
implacable  enemy  of  my  Prince  and  of  Bulgaria  here 
alone,  fastened  like  a  child  to  a  chair  by  the  hand  of  a 
woman.  Where  is  your  power  now?  Will  it  help  you 
to  unfasten  even  a  strand  of  your  bonds  ?  Will  it 
bring  a  single  soul  to  your  aid  ?  Will  it  stay  by  a 
second  the  plunge  of  my  knife,  or  turn  by  so  much  as 
a  hair's  breadth  the  point  from  your  heart  ?  Were  you 
as  feeble  as  the  meanest  and  weakest  of  your  victims, 
you  could  not  be  more  helpless  than  alone  here  with 
me." 

The  bloodthirsty  fury  of  this  unsexed  demon  was  a 
hateful  sight.  Had  she  plunged  her  knife  into  the 


A  FEARSOME  DILEMMA  309 

man's  heart  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage  I  could  have  under- 
stood the  passion  which  impelled"  her  to  her  act  of 
revenge,  but  it  was  loathsome  to  see  her  standing 
gloating  over  the  wretched,  quivering  old  man.  I 
made  up  my  mind  to  stop  her ;  and  I  was  about  to 
dash  into  the  room  to  tear  the  knife  from  her  grasp, 
for  I  could  stand  the  sight  no  longer,  when  a  thought 
inspired  by  his  fear  struck  me.  Like  a  flash  of  light  a 
way  to  safety  for  me  darted  into  my  mind.  If  he  was 
the  coward  at  heart  she  had  proved  him  I  could  turn 
his  fears  to  good  account,  and  in  a  moment  I  turned  as 
anxious  to  save  his  life  as  I  was  to  end  the  intolerable 
sight  of  her  cruel,  tigerish,  callous  gloating. 

"You  have  tried  to  murder  my  Prince,  and  now  you 
have  dragged  him  from  his  throne  to  some  of  your  vile 
Russian  prisons,"  she  began  again,  when  I  burst  open 
the  doors  of  my  hiding-place,  darted  upon  her  before 
she  could  recover  from  her  start  of  surprise,  and,  push- 
ing her  back,  stood  between  her  and  the  General. 

"  You  ! "  she  cried  in  a  voice  choking  with  baffled 
passion,  and  looking  for  all  the  world  as  though  she 
would  spring  on  me. 

"  Silence  !  "  I  said  sternly.  "  This  has  gone  on  too 
long  already.  I  will  have  no  murder  of  this  kind  done 
here." 

I  heard  the  old  man  behind  me  give  a  deep  sigh  of 
relief,  and,  glancing  round,  I  saw  that  his  head  had 
dropped  back  on  his  shoulders.  He  had  fainted  in  the 
sudden  relaxation  of  the  terrible  strain,  and  with  his 
dead  white  face  upturned,  open-mouthed  and  staring- 
eyed,  he  looked  like  a  corpse. 

But  I  could  give  him  no  more  than  a  glance,  for  I 
dared  not  keep  my  eyes  from  the  wild  woman  before 
me. 


310          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  You  know  he  came  here  to  find  proofs  to  justify 
him  in  ordering  your  death?  " 

"  I  heard  you  taunt  him  with  it  just  now ;  but  I  can 
protect  myself." 

"  I  did  not  come  to  kill  him  for  that." 

"  I  care  nothing  for  your  motives  ;  I  will  not  have 
him  killed  here,"  I  returned  in  the  same  stern,  decisive 
tone. 

She  eyed  me  viciously,  like  a  baulked  tigress. 

"  You  will  not?"  The  words  came  in  a  low,  strenu- 
ous, menacing  voice  that  fitted  with  her  tigress  look. 

"  No,  I  will  not ;  "  and  at  that,  without  another 
word,  she  flung  herself  upon  me,  wrought  up  to  such  a 
pitch  of  madness  in  her  reckless  yearning  to  do  the  deed 
she  had  come  to  do  upon  Kolfort  that  she  would  have 
plunged  the  knife  into  my  heart  to  clear  me  out  of  her 
path.  She  struggled  with  the  strength  and  frenzy  of 
madness,  turning  the  knife  as  I  clutched  and  held  her 
wrist  until  it  gashed  my  hand,  while  she  strained  every 
nerve  and  muscle  of  her  lithe,  active  body  in  the  des- 
perate efforts  to  get  past  me  and  wrench  her  wrist 
from  my  grip. 

She  was  now  in  all  truth  a  madwoman. 

It  was  a  grim,  fierce,  gruesome  struggle,  for  her 
strength  was  at  all  times  far  beyond  that  of  a  woman, 
and  her  mania  increased  it  until  I  could  scarce  hold 
her  in  check.  Had  I  been  a  less  powerful  man  she 
would  certainly  have  beaten  me  ;  but  I  thrust  her  away 
again,  though  I  could  not  get  the  dagger  from  her,  and 
was  preparing  myself  for  a  renewal  of  the  struggle, 
when,  with  a  scream  for  help  that  resounded  through 
the  house,  she  turned  her  wild  eyes  on  me,  now  gleam- 
ing with  her  madness,  and  hissed  : 

"  He  seeks  the  proofs  to  kill  you  !     He  shall  have 


A  FEARSOME  DILEMMA  311 

them  in  my  dead  body  !  My  blood  is  on  you  !  My 
murder  shall  give  him  the  proofs  he  needs  !  " 

She  cried  again  for  help  in  the  same  ear-piercing 
screech  ;  and,  before  I  could  devise  her  meaning,  she 
turned  the  blade  against  herself,  plunged  it  into  her 
own  heart,  and,  with  a  last  half-finished  scream,  fell  to 
the  floor  with  a  sickening  thud. 

In  an  instant  I  saw  the  method  in  her  madness.  The 
General  had  seen  me  in  the  room ;  he  was  now  uncon- 
scious ;  there  was  no  witness  of  her  self-murder ;  my 
hand  was  streaming  with  the  blood  from  the  gashes  of 
her  knife  ;  it  was  in  my  house  it  happened  ;  her  screams 
for  help  must  have  been  heard  outside.  The  sugges- 
tive proofs  that  I  had  slain  her  were  enough  to  con- 
vince anyone  of  my  guilt,  and  in  another  moment  I 
should  have  the  General's  men  thundering  at  the  door, 
not  only  to  stop  my  flight,  but  to  have  me  denounced 
as  a  murderer. 

Surely  never  was  a  man  in  a  more  desperate  plight, 
and  for  the  moment  I  knew  not  in  my  desperation 
what  to  do. 

A  glance  at  General  Kolfort  showed  me  he  was  still 
unconscious,  and  I  rushed  to  him  and  shook  him  in  the 
frenzy  of  my  despair.  But  he  gave  no  sign  of  return- 
ing consciousness,  and  the  white  face  rolled  from  side 
to  side  as  the  head  shook  nervelessly  on  the  limp, 
flaccid  neck. 

I  clenched  my  hands  and  breathed  hard  in  my  con- 
centrated efforts  to  think  coherently  and  form  some 
plan  of  action,  and  I  cursed  aloud  in  my  wrath  the  fiend 
of  a  woman  who  had  brought  me  to  this  pass  of  peril. 
I  had  no  thought  for  her,  dead  though  she  was,  but 
wild,  raging,  impotent  hate. 

Mere  flight  was  no  use.     If  I  were  charged  with  this 


312          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

awful  deed  I  should  be  proscribed  as  a  murderer,  and 
the  charge  would  dog  my  footsteps  wherever  I  went 
and  rest  on  me  always,  till  I  should  be  dragged  perhaps 
to  a  felon's  death.  These  thoughts  flashed  like  light- 
ning through  my  mind  in  the  seconds  that  followed, 
crazing,  bewildering,  and  frightening  me  till  the  drops 
stood  cold  and  thick  on  my  brow  and  my  hands  grew 
clammy  with  the  clew  of  fear. 

Then  came  the  sounds  of  men  running  on  the  gravel 
outside,  and  I  listened  to  them  in  positively  fascinated, 
helpless  irresolution. 

Another  second  and  the  men  were  knocking  loudly 
at  the  house  door ;  and  still  I  could  not  move.  My 
feet  were  chained  by  a  palsy  of  fear  to  the  floor,  my 
breath  came  in  gasps  so  that  I  was  like  to  choke,  and 
when  the  knocking  was  repeated  1  could  do  no  more 
than  turn  and  stare  helplessly  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound  like  a  crazy  idiot.  My  brain  seemed  to  have 
stayed  every  function  except  to  fill  me  with  this  awe- 
some conviction  of  deadly  inevitable  peril. 

The  knocking  was  repeated  for  the  third  time,  and  I 
heard  the  voices  of  the  men  calling  to  be  admitted.  I 
felt  that  in  a  minute  more  the  end  must  come,  and  still 
I  could  do  nothing  but  stare  in  imbecile  apathy  and 
wait  for  it. 

Never  can  I  efface  the  horror  of  that  terrible  mo- 
ment. 

Then  suddenly  it  seemed  to  pass.  I  thought  clearly 
again,  the  instincts  of  self-preservation  reasserted  them- 
selves, and  I  cursed  myself  for  the  invaluable  time  I 
had  lost. 

But  it  might  not  even  now  be  too  late. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

GENERAL  KOLFORT   TO   THE    RESCUE 

As  I  stood  in  a  last  second  of  desperate  thought  1 
heard  the  crash  of  glass,  and  I  knew  the  men  were 
breaking  into  the  house  ;  and  I  knew,  too,  that  another 
minute  would  see  them  in  the  room  where  I  should  be 
caught  red-handed.  The  instant  General  Kolfort  re- 
turned to  consciousness  he  would  be  the  first  to  de- 
nounce me,  despite  the  fact  that  I  had  saved  him  from 
death.  He  would  only  too  gladly  use  against  me  the 
awful  proofs  of  my  apparent  guilt  which  the  mad 
woman  had  afforded  by  her  self-murder.  It  was  just 
such  a  chance  as  he  would  welcome. 

I  dared  not  leave  him  behind  me. 

I  seized  him,  and,  tearing  with  the  strength  of  pas- 
sion at  his  bonds,  tugged  and  wrenched  until  I  freed 
his  hands  and  lifted  him  in  my  arms.  He  was  still 
faint,  though  I  detected  now  the  signs  of  returning 
consciousness.  Then  I  extinguished  the  light,  darted 
with  him  through  the  entrance  into  the  secret  passage, 
and,  clapping  a  hand  over  his  mouth  that  he  should 
utter  no  sound  when  his  senses  came  back,  I  drew  my 
revolver,  and  peering  through  the  glass  into  the  dark 
room,  stood  at  bay,  resolved  to  sell  my  life  dearly, 
whatever  chanced. 

But  I  had  secured  a  magnificent  hostage  for  ultimate 
freedom,  could  I  only  get  through  this  mess.  It  would 
all  turn  on  what  happened  when  the  General's  men 

313 


3H          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

entered  the  room,  and  I  clenched  my  teeth  as  I  stared 
into  the  darkness. 

There  was  no  long  wait.  I  had  barely  hidden  my- 
self when  someone  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  room, 
paused  for  a  reply,  knocked  again,  and  entered.  Two 
men  came  in,  the  faint  light  from  the  hall  beyond  show- 
ing up  their  uniformed  figures. 

"  This  isn't  the  room  ;  it's  all  in  darkness,"  said  one 
in  a  deep  bass  voice. 

"  Yes,  it  is ;  it's  the  library,"  said  the  other,  who 
evidently  knew  the  house.  "Are  you  there,  General? 
Did  you  call  ?  " 

They  both  waited  for  an  answer,  and,  getting  none, 
came  further  into  the  room. 

"  It  can't  be  it,"  said  the  first  speaker. 

"  Better  get  a  light,"  returned  the  second.  "  I  know 
it  is  the  right  room." 

"  Well,  it's  devilish  odd."  Fumbling  in  his  pocket, 
he  got  a  match,  struck  it  and  held  it  up,  glancing 
round  the  room  with  the  faint,  flickering  light  held 
above  his  head, 

"  Here's  a  lamp,"  said  his  companion ;  "  hot  too, 
only  just  put  out.  I  don't  like  this.  Where  can  the 
General  be?" 

"  Better  mind  what  we're  doing,  Loixoff.  The  Gen- 
eral won't  thank  us  to  come  shoving  our  noses  into 
his  affairs." 

"  You  heard  the  scream  for  help,  Captain  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  it  wasn't  the  General's  voice,"  returned 
the  Captain  drily.  "  And  he  was  alone  with  the  woman 
we  were  to  take  prisoner  afterwards." 

They  were  lighting  the  lamp  when  this  little  unin- 
tentional revelation  of  old  Kolfort's  intended  treachery 
to  the  Countess  Bokara  was  made. 


GENERAL  KOLFORT  TO  THE  RESCUE  315 

At  that  moment  I  felt  my  prisoner  move,  and  I 
pressed  my  hand  tightly  over  his  mouth  and  held  him 
in  a  grip  that  made  my  muscles  like  steel,  lest  he  should 
struggle,  and,  by  the  noise,  bring  the  men  upon  us. 

When  they  had  lighted  the  lamp  they  stood  looking 
round  them  in  hesitation.  From  where  they  stood  the 
body  of  the  dead  woman  was  concealed  by  the  table. 

"The  General's  been  here,"  said  the  man  who  had 
been  addressed  as  Loixoff.  "  Here  are  his  cap  and 
gloves."  They  lay  not  far  from  the  lamp.  "  What 
had  we  better  do?" 

My  prisoner  made  another  movement  then  and  drew 
a  deep  breath  through  his  nostrils,  and  I  felt  his  arm 
begin  to  writhe  in  my  grip.  I  slipped  my  revolver  in- 
to my  belt  for  a  moment,  lifted  him  up  in  my  arms, 
holding  him  like  a  child,  put  his  legs  between  mine 
while  I  pinioned  him  with  my  left  arm  so  that  he  could 
not  move  hand  or  foot,  and  moved  my  right  hand  up 
to  cover  both  nostrils  and  mouth.  I  would  stifle  his 
life  out  of  him  where  he  lay  rather  than  let  him  betray 
me. 

I  could  understand  the  men's  hesitation.  Old  Kol- 
fort  was  certain  to  resent  any  interference  or  prying 
on  their  part  into  his  secrets,  and  they  foresaw  that  the 
consequences  to  them  might  be  serious  if  they  were  to 
do  what  he  did  not  wish.  He  knew  how  to  punish  in- 
terlopers. They  were  afraid,  and  I  began  to  hope  that, 
after  all,  I  should  yet  get  out  of  this  plight  if  I  could 
only  keep  my  prisoner  quiet. 

Even  if  I  had  to  kill  him  I  could  still  get  the  paper 
I  had  come  for ;  and  as  no  one  would  know  of  my  visit 
to  the  house,  no  glint  of  suspicion  would  ever  fall  on 
me.  At  this  thought  I  almost  hoped  he  would  die. 

The  two  men  stood  in  sore  perplexity  for  a  time  that 


316          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

seemed  an  hour  to  me,  but  may  have  been  a  couple 
of  minutes,  and  then  the  elder  one,  the  Captain, 
said  : 

"  We'd  better  look  through  the  other  rooms." 

"As  you  please,"  said  his  companion,  and  he  turned 
away  while  the  Captain  picked  up  the  lamp. 

"  I  can't  understand  it,"  he  muttered. 

"  Perhaps  we'd  better  not  try,"  said  Loixoff.  As  he 
spoke  he  started,  and  I  saw  him  stare  at  the  spot  where 
the  Countess  lay.  "  By  God  !  Captain,  there's  the 
woman,  dead  ! " 

They  crossed  the  room  together,  and  while  the 
Captain  held  the  lamp  down  close  to  the  body  Loixoff 
examined  it. 

"  It's  that  fiend,  Anna  Bokara,"  he  cried.  "  Now  we 
know  what  that  scream  meant." 

"  Is  she  dead  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  here's  a  knife  thrust  right  through  her  heart. 
There's  no  pulse,"  he  added  after  a  pause.  "  Is  this 
his  work?" 

"  It  must  be,"  returned  the  Captain;  and  I  saw  them 
look  meaningly  into  each  other's  eyes. 

"  We'd  best  clear  out  of  this,"  said  the  Captain. 
"  I  suppose  it's  only  a  case  of  suicide  after  all,"  he 
added  significantly. 

"  Probably,"  was  LoixofTs  dry  answer  as  he  rose 
from  his  knees.  "  Where's  the  General,  do  you 
think?" 

"  I  never  think  in  these  cases  ;  "  and  the  Captain  put 
the  lamp  down,  taking  care  to  find  the  exact  spot  where 
it  had  stood,  and  then  extinguished  it.  "  We'll  wait 
till  he  calls  us,  Loixoff.  And  mind,  not  a  word  that 
we've  been  here.  Leave  the  General  to  make  his  own 
plans." 


GENERAL  KOLFORT  TO  THE  RESCUE  317 

They  went  out,  closing  the  door  softly  behind  them, 
and  I  heard  them  leave  the  house.  As  I  pushed  open 
the  doors  of  the  cabinet  again  their  steps  crunched  on 
the  gravel  outside  as  they  walked  away  down  the  drive. 

I  breathed  freely  once  more.  I  was  safe  so  far,  and 
in  the  relief  from  the  strain  of  the  last  few  terrible 
minutes  my  muscles  relaxed,  and  I  leant  against  the 
wall  with  scarcely  sufficient  strength  to  prevent  my 
companion  from  slipping  out  of  my  arms  to  the  floor. 

But  there  was  still  much  to  be  done,  and  I  made  a 
vigorous  effort  to  pull  myself  together.  I  relit  the 
lamp,  but  placed  it  so  that  no  gleam  of  the  light  could  be 
seen  through  the  windows.  Then  laying  my  prisoner, 
who  had  fainted  again  as  the  result  of  my  rough  treat- 
ment of  him  in  the  hiding-place,  on  a  couch,  I  secured 
the  paper  of  the  route  I  was  to  take  to  the  frontier. 

Next  I  applied  myself  vigorously  to  restore  him  to 
consciousness.  I  dashed  cold  water  in  his  face,  and 
then,  getting  brandy  from  a  cupboard  in  the  room,  I 
poured  some  down  his  throat,  and  bathed  his  forehead. 
The  effect  was  soon  apparent ;  his  breathing  became 
deeper  and  more  regular,  until  with  a  deep-drawn  sigh 
he  opened  his  eyes  and  stared  at  me,  at  first  in  a  maze 
of  bewilderment,  but  gradually  with  gathering  remem- 
brance and  recognition. 

"You'll  do  now,  General ;  but  you've  had  a  near 
shave.  If  I  hadn't  come  in  the  nick  of  time  that 
woman's  knife  would  have  been  in  your  heart,"  I  said. 

He  started,  and  terror  dilated  his  pupils  as  he  glanced 
wildly  about  him. 

"  You're  safe  from  her.  She's  killed  herself.  Drink 
this  ;  "  and  I  gave  him  more  brandy.  As  I  handed  it 
to  him  he  started  again  and  stared  at  the  blood  on  my 
hand.  He  was  still  scared  enough  for  my  purposes. 


318          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

He  drank  the  brandy  and  it  strengthened  him,  and 
presently  he  struggled  and  sat  up. 

I  drew  out  my  revolver,  made  a  show  of  examining 
it  to  make  sure  that  it  was  loaded,  and  put  it  back  in 
my  pocket.  I  had  run  my  hands  over  him  before  to 
make  certain  that  he  had  no  weapon. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  he  asked,  with  a  glance 
of  fresh  terror. 

"  Not  to  use  that  unless  you  force  me,"  I  said,  with 
a  look  which  he  could  read  easily  enough.  "  As  soon 
as  you're  ready  to  listen  I've  something  to  say." 

He  hid  his  face  behind  his  trembling  hands  in  such 
a  condition  of  fright  that  I  could  have  pitied  him  had 
it  not  been  necessary  for  me  to  play  on  his  fears.  He 
sat  like  this  in  dead  silence  for  some  minutes,  and  I 
waited,  thinking  swiftly  how  to  carry  out  the  plan  I 
had  formed. 

"What  is  it  you  want?"  he  asked  at  length. 

"  You  came  here  to-night  to  meet  the  Countess 
Bokara  in  the  belief  that  she  could  put  into  your  hands 
such  papers  as  would  give  you  an  excuse  to  have  me 
put  to  death,  and  when  she  had  done  it  you  meant  to 
have  had  her  arrested.  Instead  of  that  you  fell  into  her 
trap,  and  she  was  on  the  point  of  killing  you  when  I 
interfered  and  saved  your  life.  Then  she  turned  on  me 
and  struggled  to  kill  me  in  order  that  she  might  carry 
out  her  purpose.  Her  failure  drove  her  insane,  and  in 
her  frenzy  of  baulked  revenge  she  plunged  the  knife 
into  her  own  heart.  You  will  therefore  write  out  a 
statement  of  these  facts  while  they  are  still  fresh  in 
your  mind,  sign  it,  and  give  it  to  me." 

I  pointed  to  my  table,  on  which  I  had  laid  the  writ- 
ing materials  in  readiness.  He  was  fast  recovering  his 
wits,  if  not  his  courage,  and  he  listened  intently  as  I 


GENERAL  KOLFORT  TO  THE  RESCUE  319 

spoke.  I  saw  a  look  of  cunning  pass  over  his  face  as 
he  agreed  to  what  I  said,  and  crossed  to  the  writing- 
table.  He  thought  he  could  easily  disown  the  state- 
.ment,  and  had  been  quick  to  perceive  the  use  he  could 
make  of  the  facts  against  me.  But  he  did  not  know 
the  further  plan  I  had,  and  he  wrote  out  a  clear  state- 
ment exactly  as  I  had  required. 

"  Seal  it  with  your  private  seal,"  I  said  Avhen  he  had 
signed  it,  his  handwriting  throughout  having  been  pur- 
posely shaky.  He  would  have  demurred,  but  I  soon 
convinced  him  I  was  in  no  mood  to  be  fooled  with. 
"  Your  seal  can't  be  disowned  as  a  forgery,"  I  said 
pointedly.  "  And  now,  as  your  hand  has  recovered  its 
steadiness,  you  can  write  this  again — this  time,  if  you 
please,  so  that  no  one  can  mistake  it ; "  and  while  he 
did  this  I  watched  him  closely  to  prevent  a  similar  trick. 

"Good!"  I  exclaimed  when  all  was  finished.  The 
second  paper  he  had  written  I  folded  up  carefully  and 
placed  in  my  pocket ;  the  first  I  laid  inside  the  dress  of 
the  dead  woman,  in  such  a  position  that  anyone  finding 
the  body  must  see  the  paper. 

"  That  will  explain  what  has  happened  when  the 
body  is  found,"  I  said  drily.  "  I  want  the  facts  made 
very  plain."  He  looked  at  me  with  an  expression  of 
hate  and  fear  and  cunning  combined. 

"  I  must  go  ;  I  am  not  well,"  he  said. 

"  We  are  going  together,  General,"  I  returned 
quietly.  "I  am  willing  to  assume  that  you  are  so 
grateful  to  me  for  having  saved  your  life,  that  in  turn 
you  wish  to  secure  my  safety.  You  have  had  me 
arrested  once,  your  men  have  treated  me  like  a  felon, 
you  have  filled  the  roads  with  your  agents  until  I  cannot 
take  a  step  without  further  fear  of  instant  capture,  and 
up  to  this  moment  you  have  sought  my  life  with  tireless 


320          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

energy ;  but  now  you  are  so  concerned  for  my  safety, 
so  eager  to  repair  your  mistaken  estimate  of  me,  and 
heedful  for  my  welfare,  that  you  are  going  to  see  me 
safe  to  the  Servian  frontier.  That  is  the  part  you  are 
cast  for;  and,  listen  to  me,  if  you  refuse,  if  you  give  so 
much  as  a  sign  or  suggestion  of  treachery,  if  you  don't 
play  that  part  to  the  letter,  I  swear  by  all  I  hold 
sacred  I'll  scatter  your  brains  with  this  pistol ;  "  and  I 
clapped  it  to  his  head  till  the  cold  steel  pressed  a  ring 
on  his  temple.  "  Now  what  do  you  say?" 

He  cowered  and  shrank  at  my  desperate  words,  and 
all  the  horror  and  fright  of  death  with  which  the 
Countess  Bokara  had  filled  his  soul  came  back  upon 
him  again  as  he  stared  helplessly  up  at  me.  His  dry 
bloodless  lips  moved,  but  no  sound  passed  them  ;  he 
lifted  his  hands  as  if  in  entreaty,  only  to  drop  them 
again  in  feeble  nervelessness  ;  and  he  shook  and  trem- 
bled like  one  stricken  with  sudden  ague. 

"  You  value  your  life,  I  see,  and  you  can  earn  it  in 
the  way  I've  said.  So  long  as  I  am  safe  you  will  be 
safe,  and  not  one  second  longer.  That  I  swear.  If 
there  is  danger  on  the  road  for  me  it  is  your  making, 
and  you  shall  taste  of  the  risks  you  order  so  glibly  for 
others.  Every  hazard  that  waits  there  for  me  will  be 
one  for  you  as  well.  You  are  dealing  with  a  man  you 
have  rendered  utterly  reckless  and  desperate.  Remem- 
ber that.  Now,  do  you  agree  ?  " 

"  Anything,"  he  whispered,  in  so  low  a  tone  that  I 
could  only  catch  it  with  difficulty. 

"  Then  we'll  make  a  start.  Come  first  with  me."  I 
led  him  upstairs  to  my  dressing-room,  and  made  him 
wait  while  I  exchanged  the  uniform  I  was  wearing  for 
a  civilian's  dress,  and  shaved  off  my  beard  and  mous- 
tache. He  sat  watching  me  in  dead  silence,  his  eyes 


"THE  COLD  STEEL  TRESSED  A  RING  ox  HIS  TEMPLE." — Page  320. 


GENERAL  KOLFORT  TO  THE  RESCUE  321 

following  my  every  action,  much  like  a  man  spellbound 
and  fascinated.  I  had  saturated  him  through  and 
through  with  fear  of  me,  till  his  very  brain  was  dizzy 
and  dimmed  with  terror. 

When  my  hasty  preparations  were  finished,  I  took 
him  down  to  the  shooting-gallery  while  I  armed  myself 
with  a  stout  sword-stick  of  the  highest  temper,  testing 
the  blade  before  him,  and  took  a  plentiful  supply  of 
ammunition  for  my  revolver.  I  kept  absolute  silence 
the  whole  time,  letting  the  looks  which  I  now  and  again 
cast  on  him  tell  their  own  story  of  my  implacable  re- 
solve. He  was  like  a  weak  woman  in  his  dread  of  me, 
arfcl  at  every  fierce  glance  of  mine  he  started  with  a 
fresh  access  of  terror. 

When  all  was  ready  for  my  start,  I  drew  the  plan  of 
my  route  from  my  pocket  and  studied  it  carefully. 

"  I  am  ready,"  I  said ;  "  and  now  mark  me.  You 
will  call  up  one  of  your  men.  What  is  that  Captain's 
name  who  is  here  with  you  ?  " 

"  Berschoff,"  he  answered,  like  a  child  saying  a  les- 
son. 

"You  will  call  up  Captain  Berschoff  and  order  him 
to  draw  off  his  men,  and  to  send  your  carriage,  unat- 
tended, mind,  up  to  the  front  door.  You  will  be  care- 
ful that  the  Captain  does  not  see  me.  When  the 
carriage  comes,  you  will  order  your  coachman  to  drive 
you  as  fast  as  he  can  travel  to  the  village  of  Kutscherf. 
While  you  are  speaking  to  Captain  Berschoff  my  hand 
will  be  on  your  shoulder  and  my  revolver  at  your  head, 
and  if  you  dare  to  falter  in  so  much  as  a  word  or  syl- 
lable of  what  I  have  told  you,  that  moment  will  be  your 
last  on  earth.  Come  !  " 

I  held  my  revolver  in  hand  as  we  left  the  gallery  and 

went  to  the  door  of  the  house. 
21 


322          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

My  breath  came  quickly  in  my  fast-growing  excite- 
ment, for  I  knew  that  a  moment  would  bring  the  crisis 
on  the  issue  of  which  all  would  turn.  When  once  I 
had  got  rid  of  his  men,  his  sense  of  helplessness  would 
be  complete,  and  my  task  would  be  lighter.  But  my 
fear  was  that  in  his  cunning  he  might  even  dare  to  play 
me  false  in  the  belief  that  I  should  be  afraid  to  make 
my  threat  good.  He  knew  as  well  as  I  that  to  shoot 
him  right  in  front  of  his  captain  would  be  an  act  fraught 
with  consummate  peril  for  me. 

My  heart  beat  fast  as  I  unfastened  the  heavy  door, 
opened  it,  and  turning  gripped  him  by  the  shoulder  as 
he  went  forward  on  to  the  step  and  called  to  Captain 
Berschoff. 

Then  I  pulled  him  back,  closed  the  door  to  within  a 
couple  of  inches,  and,  planting  my  foot  to  prevent  it 
being  opened  wider,  I  pressed  the  barrel  of  the  pistol 
to  his  head,  as  we  stood  listening  to  the  hurried  foot- 
steps of  the  approaching  officer. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE   PUSH   FOR  THE  FRONTIER 

"  DID  you  call,  General  ?  "  asked  the  captain  ;  and  as 
the  voice  came  through  the  door  I  tightened  the  grip 
on  my  prisoner  and  pressed  the  barrel  of  the  revolver 
harder  against  his  head. 

He  hesitated,  and  when  no  answer  was  given  the 
question  was  repeated. 

"  Yes,"  said  Kolfort,  in  an  unsteady  tone. 

"  Shall  I  come  in?  Is  anything  the  matter?"  and  I 
felt  the  door  pushed  from  the  outside. 

"  No,"  in  the  same  unsteady  tone.  "  No,  I — I  do  not 
need  you.  You  will  take  your  men  back  to  my  house 
and — and  wait  for  instructions." 

"  And  the  prisoner,  General  ?  Shall  we  take  her 
with  us?" 

"  Tell  him  she  has  killed  herself,"  I  whispered. 

"  There  is  no  prisoner  to  take,  Captain  Berschoff. 
She  has — has  taken  her  own  life.  Leave  that  to  me. 
Withdraw  your  men  and  send  my  carriage  up  to  the 
door  here  for  me." 

"  Very  good,  General.     Is  that  all  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  all."  The  words  came  with  a  sigh  of 
relief.  I  shut  the  door  immediately,  and  we  stood  in 
the  dark,  near  the  window  which  the  two  officers  had 
broken  to  get  into  the  house,  and  listened  as  the  cap- 
tain walked  quickly  to  the  gates.  Then  came  a  word 
of  command,  followed  by  the  scraping  of  the  carriage 

323 


324          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

wheels  on  the  drive,  and  the  sounds  of  the  soldiers' 
horses  and  the  rattle  of  their  accoutrements  as  they 
wheeled  away  along  the  road. 

So  far  all  was  going  well,  and  the  crisis  I  feared  had 
passed  safely.  The  carriage  drew  up  outside  the 
door. 

"  Remember  where  to  tell  him  to  drive,  Kutscherf," 
I  said  sternly.  "  You  have  half  earned  your  life,  but 
you  must  go  through  with  it."  I  opened  the  door, 
linked  my  arm  in  his,  and  led  him  down  the  steps,  and 
together  we  entered  the  carriage.  He  gave  his  order 
to  the  coachman  through  the  window,  and  a  moment 
later  we  started,  turned  out  of  the  gates,  and  rattled 
along  at  a  brave  pace  for  the  frontier. 

General  Kolfort  fell  back  on  the  seat  and  pressed  his 
hands  to  his  face,  as  though  dizzy  and  weak  with  the 
long  tension  of  fear,  and  partly,  I  judged,  ashamed  of 
himself  for  his  cowardice. 

"You  had  better  try  to  sleep,  General,"  I  said  ;  "we 
have  a  long  drive.  I  shall  be  on  watch,  and  shall  not 
need  to  disturb  you  unless  we  stumble  across  any  of 
your  troublesome  patrols." 

This  was  indeed  my  one  source  of  fear  now,  and  I 
leant  back  thinking  how  we  should  deal  with  them  in 
the  event  of  interference.  The  General's  presence 
would  probably  make  everything  smooth  enough,  but 
there  was  always  a  chance  that  an  opportunity  would 
be  given  for  him  to  try  some  trick  to  elude  me. 

We  had  at  least  sixty  miles  to  drive,  and  as  it  was 
now  past  midnight  I  reckoned  we  could  not  reach  the 
frontier  until  between  seven  and  eight  in  the  morning. 
It  would  be  sunrise  by  five,  and  there  would  be  thus 
at  least  two  or  three  hours  to  drive  in  daylight.  That 
would  be  the  time  of  chief  danger. 


THE  RUSH  FOR  THE  FRONTIER      325 

It  was  a  bright,  fine  night,  the  moon  had  risen,  and 
when  we  had  cleared  the  town  I  resolved  to  urge  the 
driver  to  quicken  the  pace  of  his  horses.  I  let  down 
the  window,  and  the  cool  night  air  came  rushing  in 
and  roused  my  companion,  who  sat  up  quickly. 

"  What  is  the  matter?" 

"  Nothing ;  I  wish  your  man  to  travel  faster."  I  leant 
out  and  called  to  him  : 

"  The  General  says  you  are  to  drive  faster ;  at  a  gal- 
lop where  possible."  He  did  not  hear  me  at  first,  and 
was  for  checking  the  horses,  until  I  shouted  the  order 
to  him  again.  I  drew  in  my  head,  and  was  only  just  in 
the  nick  of  time  to  avoid  trouble. 

The  General  had  opened  the  door  on  his  side  and, 
in  his  desperation,  was  in  the  very  act  of  springing  out. 
I  caught  hold  of  him,  dragged  him  back,  and  shut  the 
door  again.  He  fell  in  a  heap  huddled  up  at  my  feet. 

"  A  very  dangerous  leap  for  a  man  of  your  age,"  I 
said  drily.  "  I  have  probably  saved  your  life,  for  the 
second  time  to-night,"  and  I  lifted  him  up  on  to  the 
seat  of  the  carriage  again.  "  And  now,  understand  me, 
if  you  had  got  out,  I  would  have  sprung  out  after  you 
and  shot  you  in  the  highway,  had  it  cost  me  my  life. 
I  thought  that  you  would  understand  by  now  that  I'm 
in  too  dangerous  a  mood  for  you  to  fool  with.  But 
I'm  glad  of  the  hint  you've  given  me,  and  I  sha'n't  for- 
get  it  for  the  rest  of  the  way." 

He  made  no  answer,  but  lay  back  on  the  seat  as  be- 
fore, and  I  did  not  attempt  to  rouse  him.  The  in- 
cident disquieted  me,  for  it  showed  that  he  was  dead 
set  on  outwitting  me,  and  would  do  so  if  I  relaxed  for 
a  single  second  the  strain  of  his  terror  of  my  pistol. 

The  carriage  was  now  travelling  at  a  great  pace,  the 
man  urging  the  horses  to  a  gallop  over  every  yard  of 


326          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

level  road.  We  reached  the  first  village  without  fur- 
ther  incident,  and  I  told  the  man  where  to  get  the 
change  of  horses.  There  was  a  little  delay  in  rousing 
the  people  of  the  place,  but  once  roused  they  set  to 
work  with  a  will,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  we  were 
spinning  on  again  with  the  fresh  cattle  at  the  same  high 
speed  for  the  next  stage. 

Markov  had  done  his  work  shrewdly,  and  had 
planned  the  route  so  that  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
way  we  travelled  without  having  to  use  the  main  road. 
But  the  by-ways  were  rough  going  in  many  places,  and 
this  retarded  our  progress.  We  made  good  time,  how- 
ever, and  when  we  changed  horses  for  the  second, 
third,  and  fourth  times  without  being  stopped,  my 
hopes  began  to  rise  fast  that  we  might  even  reach  the 
frontier  unchallenged.  We  had  covered  over  forty 
miles,  and  yet,  including  the  time  spent  in  changing 
horses,  we  had  barely  been  four  hours  on  the  road. 

A  check  came  soon  after  the  fourth  change,  however. 
We  had  to  take  to  the  main  road,  and  had  covered  some 
two  or  three  miles,  when  I  heard  a  shout  and  felt  the 
carriage  checked  suddenly. 

"  Who  goes  there  ?  "  called  someone,  and  looking 
out  I  saw  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  strong  patrol. 

"  You'd  better  not  stop  us.  I'm  driving  express. 
It's  General  Kolfort,"  came  the  coachman's  voice. 

I  caught  my  breath,  and  my  prisoner  roused  himself 
instantly  and  sat  up.  I  passed  my  arm  round  him  and, 
pressing  the  revolver  against  his  ribs  over  his  heart 
from  behind,  I  said : 

"You  will  tell  these  men  to  allow  us  to  pass.  My 
pistol  is  within  an  inch  of  your  heart,  and  my  finger 
on  the  trigger."  I  felt  him  shudder.  "  Let  that  win- 
dow down,  and  call  to  them  angrily.  You  know  me." 


THE  RUSH  FOR  THE  FRONTIER      327 

He  let  it  down,  fumbling  clumsily,  so  that  with  my 
disengaged  hand  I  had  to  help  him. 

The  non-commissioned  officer  in  charge  of  the  patrol 
had  dismounted  and  came  to  the  window. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  stopping  me  ?  Don't  you 
know  who  I  am,  blockhead  ? "  cried  the  General,  his 
teeth  chattering  with  chill  and  fright. 

"  My  orders  are  imperative,  to  stop  all  travellers  and 
see  their  papers,"  replied  the  man  as  he  saluted. 

"  Well,  you've  stopped  us  ;  that's  enough." 

"  I  must  see  your  papers,  if  you  please,"  he  said 
stolidly. 

"  Do  you  suppose  the  General  writes  passes  for  him- 
self," I  broke  in. 

"  We  have  no  papers,"  cried  the  General  sharply.  I 
saw  his  motive ;  he  wished  to  provoke  the  man  to  stop 
us. 

"  Then  you  will  have  to  alight,"  said  the  soldier. 

"  Very  well.  I  suppose  there's  no  help  for  it ;  "  and 
as  he  turned  to  me  the  General's  face  wore  an  expres- 
sion half  defiant,  half  cunning.  "  I'm  not  responsible 
for  what  these  blockheads  do,"  he  said. 

"  What  papers  do  you  want  ?  "  I  asked,  at  a  loss 
quite  what  to  do  in  this  new  and  perplexing  turn. 

"  All  travellers  this  way  must  carry  a  permit,  or 
they  are  to  be  stopped.  Those  are  my  orders." 

"  But  surely  you  know  General  Kolfort?" 

"  I  must  see  the  permit,"  he  answered  doggedly. 

"  That's  easily  managed.  You  can  write  one,  Gen- 
eral." 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

"  They  must  be  signed  and  countersigned,"  he  re- 
turned, with  growing  suspicion  and  rising  anger. 

"  The  fellow's  right,"  said  the  General,  turning  to 


328          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

me  with  a  laugh.  "  It's  absurd,  but  he's  right."  His 
manner  enraged  me.  He  was  trying  all  he  dared  to 
play  into  the  man's  hands. 

"I  am  only  obeying  orders,"  said  the  sergeant; 
and  for  a  moment  it  seemed  as  if  between  them  I 
should  be  fooled.  But  I  knew  well  enough  what 
short  work  my  prisoner  would  have  made  of  such  an 
interruption  under  other  circumstances. 

"  Do  you  tell  me  you  don't  know  that  this  is  Gen- 
eral Kolfort  ?  "  I  asked  very  sternly. 

"  I  am  not  here  to  study  faces,  sir,  but  to  examine 
permits,"  was  the  blunt  blockhead's  answer. 

"  You  can  at  least  read,  then  ?  And  I  presume  you 
know  the  General's  handwriting.  You  shall  have  an 
order  signed  by  the  General,  and  one  which  will  need 
no  countersign  to  ensure  its  being  obeyed.  What's 
your  name  and  regiment?  Quick!  "  I  said  in  a  short 
tone  of  command. 

"  Max  Pullschoff,  sergeant,  3rd  Regiment,  2nd  Army 
Corps,"  he  answered  saluting. 

"  Now,  General,  order  him  to  allow  us  to  proceed  at 
once  at  his  peril.  This  fooling  has  gone  far  enough," 
and  I  enforced  my  words  with  a  look  of  menace,  while 
I  pressed  the  revolver  hard  against  his  ribs,  and  added 
in  a  whisper,  "  Instantly  !  " 

He  hesitated  just  one  instant,  trying  to  nerve  him- 
self to  defy  me,  but  it  was  only  for  the  instant. 

"  I  am  General  Kolfort,  and  I  order  you  at  your  peril 
to  delay  me  no  longer." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  sir,  but  my  orders  are  absolute. 
I  can't  do  it." 

"  Write  an  order  to  Captain  Berschoff  that  the  rascal 
has  mutinied  against  your  authority,  General,  and  that 
instantly  on  his  return  to  quarters  he  is  to  be  imprisoned 


THE  RUSH  FOR  THE  FRONTIER      329 

and  flogged  for  mutiny.  We  will  see  then  what  he 
says  about  signatures,"  and  I  took  out  my  pocket-book 
and  gave  it  him  with  a  pencil. 

He  glared  at  me  viciously,  but  the  revolver  was  his 
master,  and  he  wrote  out  the  order  just  as  I  had  bade 
him,  and  signed  it. 

"  Now,  Sergeant  Pullschoff,  read  that,  and  say 
whether  in  the  face  of  it  you  venture  to  carry  this 
thing  further." 

The  man  took  it,  and  I  saw  his  face  turn  deadly  white 
as  he  read  it  and  scanned  the  signature  closely. 

"  I  have  done  no  more  than  my  duty,  General,"  he 
murmured ;  but  I  saw  that  I  had  beaten  him,  and  I 
pressed  that  advantage  home. 

"  If  you  detain  us  a  minute  longer,  my  man,  you 
will  go  galloping  back  to  Sofia  in  custody  for  that  order 
to  be  executed.  You  and  your  men  know  perfectly 
well  that  this  is  General  Kolfort,  and  that  this  is  his 
carriage." 

He  stepped  away  from  the  carriage  window,  and  I 
saw  him  consult  with  a  couple  of  his  men. 

"  If  I  break  my  orders  you  will  hold  me  harmless, 
General?" 

"  Of  course  we  shall.     Tell  him  so,  General." 

"  Yes,"  assented  the  latter,  but  very  slowly  and  re- 
gretfully, for  the  new  turn  of  the  matter  was  all  against 
his  wishes. 

"  You  can  give  me  back  that  order,"  I  said  then. 
"  And  I  shall  make  it  my  business  to  see  that  you  are 
commended  for  your  care  in  carrying  out  your  instruc- 
tions. Tell  the  coachman  to  drive  on." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  I  wish  to  do  no  more,"  said  the 
fellow,  saluting,  as  he  handed  me  the  paper,  and  then 
called  to  the  driver  to  proceed. 


330          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  A  very  excellent  soldier  that,  very  wooden,  but 
human  at  bottom  in  his  fear  for  himself,"  I  said  quietly 
to  my  prisoner,  as  we  passed  the  last  of  the  patrols 
who  all  saluted  us. 

"  Curse  you  !  "  cried  the  General,  in  the  bitterness  of 
his  chagrin  and  disappointment. 

I  laughed ;  I  could  afford  to  now  that  the  danger 
was  passed  ;  and  my  satisfaction  was  the  more  genuine 
because  the  danger  had  been  more  serious  than  I  had 
anticipated.  Moreover,  it  suggested  to  me  to  take  a  pre- 
caution which  I  had  neglected  before  starting. 

When  we  drew  up  for  the  next  change  of  horses  I 
made  my  prisoner  write  me  a  formal  permit  to  pass  all 
patrols,  as  being  on  special  service,  and  I  pocketed  it 
for  use  in  case  of  need.  The  value  of  it  I  had  an  op- 
portunity of  testing  within  a  few  minutes,  for  we 
were  stopped  again  by  another  patrol  of  troops.  But 
I  produced  the  permit  this  time,  and  it  was  accepted 
without  a  word  of  comment. 

It  was  now  daylight ;  and,  as  we  drew  near  the  fron- 
tier, my  excitement  increased.  When  we  changed 
horses  for  the  last  time  my  spirits  were  as  high  as  my 
companion's  rage  and  chagrin  were  manifest. 

In  less  than  an  hour  I  should  be  across  the  frontier 
if  all  went  well ;  and  all  had  gone  so  well  that  it  would 
be  a  mere  superfluity  of  cowardice  to  anticipate  any 
serious  obstacle  now.  We  had  left  the  main  road,  and 
had  travelled  some  four  miles  through  rough  hilly  cross 
lanes  to  the  point  where  Markov  had  planned  for  the 
frontier  to  be  crossed,  when  I  found  that  the  driver 
was  in  trouble  with  the  horses.  They  were  going  very 
erratically,  now  jibbing  and  plunging  in  the  harness, 
and  again  dashing  forward  at  headlong  speed.  While 
they  galloped  I  cared  nothing,  and,  though  we  bumped 


THE  RUSH  FOR  THE  FRONTIER      331 

over  the  rough  roads  so  violently  that  my  companion 
could  scarcely  keep  on  his  seat,  and  was  constantly 
thrown  against  me,  I  was  well  contented,  and  laughed. 
The  greater  the  speed  the  better  it  pleased  me.  But 
when  they  stopped,  and  plunged,  and  kicked  with  a 
violence  quite  beyond  the  man's  power  to  control,  I 
was  anxious  enough. 

Then,  quite  suddenly,  came  an  overwhelming  dis- 
aster which  ruined  everything.  We  had  ascended  a 
steep  hill  at  a  slow  pace,  with  more  than  one  stoppage, 
and  were  descending  a  slope  on  the  other  side,  when 
the  horses  bolted,  and  dashed  away  down  it  with  a 
frantic  fury  that  threatened  to  smash  us  up  at  almost 
every  stride.  The  pace  was  mad  enough  to  frighten  a 
man  whose  nerves  were  in  far  better  order  than  those 
of  my  fright-wrought  prisoner,  and  his  terror  paralysed 
him. 

There  was  going  to  be  a  smash ;  and  I  had  scarcely 
time  to  realise  the  certainty  of  it,  and  to  wonder 
vaguely  how  it  would  affect  my  escape,  when  it  came. 
There  were  a  few  moments  of  mad,  jolting,  dizzying 
rush  down  the  hill,  then  a  fearful  crash  as  the  wheels 
struck  against  some  heavy  obstacle,  a  wild  jerk  that 
threw  us  both  forward  in  a  heap,  a  noise  of  smashing 
glass  and  rending  woodwork,  half-a-dozen  great  lurch- 
ing bumps  and  jolts,  and  the  carriage  was  on  its  side, 
dragging,  and  tearing,  and  grinding  on  the  rough  road, 
till  it  stopped,  and  I  found  myself  lying  in  its  ruins, 
with  my  hands  and  face  badly  cut  and  bruised,  and 
every  bone  in  my  body,  as  it  seemed,  either  broken  or 
dislocated.  I  struggled  out  of  the  ruin  as  best  I  could, 
to  find  the  driver  and  his  horses  in  a  heap  in  the  road, 
the  man  himself  in  imminent  peril  of  being  kicked  to 
death.  I  managed  to  haul  him  out  of  danger,  and  laid 


332  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

him  by  the  roadside  unconscious  from  the  effect  of  his 
fall,  and  left  the  horses  to  fight  it  out  for  themselves 
while  I  looked  after  General  Kolfort. 

He  was  also  unconscious ;  but  whether  from  hurt  or 
fear  I  could  not  tell.  He  lay  pinned  underneath  the 
carriage,  and  I  had  great  difficulty  in  releasing  him. 
But  I  got  him  out,  and  set  him  beside  the  coachman, 
just  as  one  of  the  horses  succeeded  in  kicking  himself 
free,  struggled  to  his  feet,  and  began  backing  and  tug- 
ging to  break  the  reins.  I  ran  to  him,  patted  and 
soothed  him,  and  then,  cutting  the  reins,  I  knotted 
them  and  fastened  him  to  a  tree.  I  meant  him  to 
carry  me  to  the  frontier  on  his  back,  and  was  glad  to 
find,  when  I  ran  my  hands  over  him,  that  he  had  no 
more  serious  hurts  than  a  few  surface  cuts. 

But  I  was  in  truth  vastly  puzzled  how  to  act.  To 
take  the  General  with  me  any  further  was  impossible  ; 
yet  to  leave  him  behind  might  be  infinitely  dangerous. 
The  instant  he  recovered  consciousness  he  would  set 
all  his  wits  and  malice  to  work  to  have  me  followed ; 
and  my  perplexity  was  vastly  increased  when  I  saw 
about  a  mile  ahead  of  me  a  couple  of  horse-patrols  ap- 
pear on  the  crest  of  a  hill,  and  come  riding  leisurely 
toward  us. 

There  was  no  time  for  hesitation.  I  realised  in- 
stantly the  impossibility  of  holding  the  General  in  my 
power  by  means  of  threats  in  the  presence  of  a  couple 
of  soldiers  in  broad  daylight.  There  was  infinitely  less 
danger  in  trusting  to  flight. 

I  rushed  to  the  horse,  therefore,  unfastened  him, 
leapt  on  his  bare  back,  and  set  off  at  a  gallop  to  meet 
the  approaching  soldiers.  As  I  glanced  back  I  saw  to 
my  dismay  that  the  General  had  been  fooling  me  with 
a  sham  fainting  fit,  for  he  had  risen  to  a  sitting  posture, 


THE  RUSH  FOR  THE  FRONTIER      333 

and  was  endeavouring  to  shake  the  coachman  back  to 
his  senses. 

At  this  I  urged  my  horse  forward,  for  I  knew  his 
next  step  would  be  to  try  and  make  the  soldiers  under- 
stand that  I  was  to  be  stopped  and  secured. 

As  I  galloped  I  made  my  plans.  Getting  within 
earshot,  I  called  to  them  to  hasten  forward,  for  they 
had  halted,  and  stood  with  their  carbines  ready  to  stop 
me. 

Reining  my  horse  up  as  best  I  could,  I  said,  in  a  tone 
of  command : 

"  General  Kolfort  has  met  with  an  accident  there, 
and  you  are  to  hasten  to  his  assistance  instantly." 

"  One  moment,  if  you  please,  sir.  Have  you  your 
papers  ?"  asked  one  of  the  men. 

"  Of  course  I  have.  I  am  riding  on  special  service. 
Here  is  my  permit  ;  "  and  I  showed  it  to  him,  not  let- 
ting it  out  of  my  hands,  however.  He  pushed  his 
horse  forward  and  read  it. 

"  It  seems  all  right,"  he  said. 

"  Of  course  it's  all  right.  I  am  on  a  matter  of  life  or 
death,  and  have  to  press  forward  with  all  speed.  I 
have  had  to  use  one  of  the  carriage  horses ;  but  one  of 
you  had  better  give  me  yours.  It  is  an  urgent  affair 
of  State." 

My  tone  of  authority,  added  to  the  permit  of  urgency 
with  the  General's  signature,  impressed  him  consider- 
ably. 

"  It's  all  against  orders,"  he  said,  hesitating. 

"  Do  you  suppose  this  won't  justify  everything?"  1 
cried,  shaking  the  General's  order  in  his  face.  "  You 
may  find  it  awkward  to  refuse.  The  General  will  soon 
put  you  right.  Quick !  there's  no  time  to  lose  ;  "  and, 
to  act  my  part  thoroughly,  I  slipped  off  my  horse. 


334          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

He  dismounted  slowly,  and  half  reluctantly  ;  but  the 
instant  his  foot  touched  the  ground,  I  let  my  horje 
loose,  and,  giving  him  a  thrust  in  the  ribs,  sent  him 
trotting  down  the  road,  while  I  seized  the  bridle  of  the 
other  and  swung  into  the  saddle,  before  the  man  had 
recovered  from  his  astonishment. 

Then  an  exclamation  from  the  second  soldier  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  us  both.  There  was  good 
cause  ;  for,  on  looking  back,  I  saw  that  three  other 
horse-soldiers  had  joined  the  General,  who  was  making 
frantic  gesticulations  to  the  men  with  me. 

"  Ah  !  he  sees  me  stopping,  and  wishes  me  to  push 
on,"  I  said. 

"  I  think  you  had  better  ride  back  with  us,  if  you 
please,"  said  the  soldier  who  had  dismounted,  and  he 
made  a  sign  to  his  companion,  who  was  still  barring 
my  path,  to  stop  me. 

"  Nonsense,  he  wishes  me  to  push  on.", 

"  I  can't  let  you  proceed,  sir,  order  or  no  order,"  he 
answered  bluntly,  and  made  as  if  to  seize  my  horse's 
bridle,  while  he  ordered  his  subordinate  to  prevent 
my  passing. 

At  the  same  moment  the  men  with  the  General  fired 
their  carbines  to  call  our  attention,  and  set  off  towards 
us  at  full  gallop. 

"  At  least  you  can  wait  till  those  men  reach  us,"  he 
said,  and  his  tone  and  face  showed  his  suspicions  that 
something  was  wrong. 

Thus  in  a  moment  the  position  had  developed  into 
one  of  fresh  embarrassment  and  imminent  peril  for  me. 


CHAPTER    XXXI 

THE  RUINED  HUT 

THE  two  soldiers  mistook  me  vastly  if  they  thought 
I  was  going  to  allow  myself  to  be  caught  in  this  way 
like  a  rat  in  a  trap,  when  the  trap  was  a  mile  long,  and 
the  door  of  it  guarded  so  loosely. 

I  had  backed  my  horse  to  prevent  the  man  on  foot 
catching  hold  of  the  bridle-rein,  and,  wheeling  round 
swiftly,  I  plunged  my  hand  into  my  pocket,  drew  out 
my  revolver,  and,  before  the  second  soldier  could  guess 
my  intention,  I  sent  a  bullet  into  his  horse's  head. 

He  dropped  like  a  stone,  sending  his  rider  flying  on 
to  the  road,  his  carbine,  which  he  had  levelled  at  me, 
going  off  in  the  air  as  he  fell.  The  other  made  a  rush 
at  me,  but  I  covered  him  with  the  pistol. 

"  How  dare  you  try  to  stop  me  on  State  business.?" 
I  cried  in  a  voice  of  thunder.  "Another  step  and  I'll 
blow  your  brains  out." 

He  pulled  up  short  enough  at  that,  and  I  clapped  my 
heels  into  the  horse's  flanks,  and  was  off  like  the  wind. 
He  was  a  good  beast,  in  excellent  condition  and  very 
fresh,  and  more  than  fit  to  carry  me  the  six  miles  which 
I  reckoned  lay  between  me  and  the  frontier.  The  dis- 
tance was  so  short  that  I  had  no  need  to  spare  him, 
and,  as  I  had  over  three-quarters  of  a  mile  start,  I  did 
not  doubt  that  I  could  win  a  race  in  which  my  safety 
and  probably  my  life  were  the  stakes. 

I  was  in  luck,  too,  for  the  soldier  before  dismounting 

335 


336          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

had  thrust  back  his  carbine  into  its  leathern  shoe,  and 
in  among  his  saddle-furniture  I  found  a  reserve  supply 
of  ammunition. 

Turning  in  my  saddle  I  saw  that  the  three  soldiers 
had  passed  the  two  with  whom  I  had  had  the  tussle, 
and  were  galloping  after  me  at  full  speed,  striving  might 
and  main  to  lessen  the  distance  between  us,  and  I  knew, 
of  course,  that  old  Kolfort  had  given  them  his  most 
imperative  command  to  overtake  and  capture  me  at 
all  costs. 

But  a  few  minutes  of  this  hot  work  showed  me  that 
I  was  better  mounted  than  they,  and  that  I  was  gain- 
ing. They  perceived  this,  too,  and  resorted  to  a  tactic 
which  gave  me  some  uneasiness.  One  after  another 
they  began  firing  their  carbines,  not  of  course  at  me, 
for  I  was  hopelessly  out  of  range,  but  in  the  hope  of 
attracting  any  other  patrol  parties  who  might  chance 
to  be  in  the  neighbourhood. 

This  was  by  no  means  to  my  taste.  It  suggested 
that  they  knew  there  were  more  troops  about,  and  while 
I  dug  my  heels  into  my  willing  horse's  sides,  and  urged 
him  with  my  voice  to  still  greater  speed,  I  cast  ahead 
many  anxious  looks. 

A  minute  later,  too,  I  was  thrown  into  a  state  of 
much  perplexity  as  to  my  road.  About  half  a  mile  in 
front  the  road  forked,  and  I  did  not  know  whether  my 
way  lay  to  the  right  or  left,  and  had  no  time  to  consult 
the  plan  of  route.  It  would  have  been  fatal  to  hesitate, 
however,  and  I  was  going  to  leave  my  horse  to  settle 
the  matter  for  himself,  trusting  that  he  might  have  been 
stabled  somewhere  near  the  frontier  and  would  thus 
make  for  that  point,  when  a  very  disquieting  fact 
decided  me. 

A  couple  of  troopers  were  riding  at  a  quick  trot  along 


THE  RUINED  HUT  337 

the  road  to  the  left,  and  coming  in  my  direction.  They 
were  at  a  considerable  distance,  and  I  should  reach  the 
junction  long  before  them.  I  determined  to  trust  to 
fortune  and  take  the  other  road. 

They  soon  caught  sight  of  me,  and  as  the  men  pur- 
suing me  kept  up  their  fire,  the  two  in  front  hustled 
their  horses  into  a  gallop,  evidently  thinking  some- 
thing was  wrong,  and  intending  to  cut  me  off  and  stop 
me. 

They  saw  me  turn  into  the  right  road,  checked  their 
horses,  leapt  into  the  fields,  and  came  galloping  across 
to  intercept  me.  This  was  not  practicable,  however, 
because  the  point  for  which  they  were  making  was 
nearer  to  me  by  the  road  than  to  them  by  the  fields, 
and  after  they  had  galloped  half  across  the  fields  they 
called  to  me  to  stop.  Perceiving  my  advantage,  my 
answer  was  to  urge  my  horse  forward,  till  he  was 
straining  every  nerve  and  flying  over  the  ground  like 
the  gallant  beast  he  was. 

Then  one  of  them  reined  up  suddenly,  and  being  well 
within  range,  he  sat  as  steady  as  a  rock  on  his  horse, 
levelled  his  piece,  and  fired.  Fortunately  for  me  he 
was  quite  as  bad  a  marksman  as  the  majority  of  such 
men  are,  and  the  bullet  whistled  harmlessly  by  me  as  I 
dashed  past  at  the  same  headlong  speed.  His  com- 
panion had,  however,  come  much  nearer,  and  when  he 
found  he  could  not  intercept  me,  he  too  halted  and  fired 
after  me  in  his  turn, 

He  also  missed  me,  but  I  felt  my  horse  give  a  violent 
change  in  his  stride,  and  immediately  begin  to  slacken 
speed.  I  looked  around  anxiously  and  found,  to  my 
intense  alarm  and  consternation,  that  he  was  wounded, 
and  had  gone  dead  lame  on  his  off  hind  leg. 

For  the  first  time  I  was  inclined  to  despair.     Behind 

22 


338          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

me  were  five  well-mounted  men  eagerly  bent  on  my 
capture,  and  before  me  lay  at  least  three  miles  of 
unknown  road — even  supposing  that  I  was  riding  in  the 
right  direction — while  my  horse  was  already  beginning 
to  stagger  in  his  stride.  But  my  blood  was  up.  I 
would  not  be  taken  alive,  and  I  resolved  to  fight  so 
long  as  I  could  lift  a  finger  in  self-defence. 

Flight  was  now  out  of  the  question,  however. 
Wounded  as  he  was,  my  horse  could  not  have  carried 
me  to  the  frontier  had  I  been  able  to  ease  his  pace, 
which  was  of  course  impossible.  I  could  fight  better 
on  foot  than  on  the  back  of  a  wounded  horse,  more- 
over, and  I  began  to  think  desperately  of  my  best 
course. 

I  drew  out  the  trooper's  carbine,  put  the  ammuni- 
tion into  my  pockets,  and  looked  about  for  the  most 
likely  spot  for  a  last  stand.  About  half  a  mile  ahead 
of  me  I  spied  a  peasant's  cottage  half  in  ruins,  lying  a 
little  distance  from  the  lane.  Just  the  place  for  me! 
I  urged  my  horse  to  the  last  effort,  and  he  answered 
gallantly,  as  if  he  understood  how  dire  was  my  need. 
But  he  was  reeling  badly  when  we  reached  the  spot  I 
was  heading  for ;  and  the  two  men  behind  raised  a  glad 
shout  as  they  saw  me  pull  up,  slip  from  the  horse,  and 
make  a  dash,  carbine  in  hand,  for  the  cover  of  the 
ruined  cottage. 

They  both  fired  at  me  as  I  ran,  a  cowardly  act  that 
filled  me  with  rage.  Hitherto  I  had  tried  to  avoid 
shedding  blood,  but  I  sent  that  thought  to  the  winds 
now  as  I  sprang  behind  the  shelter  of  the  welcome 
walls  and  turned  to  settle  accounts  with  them.  Armed 
as  I  was,  I  believed  I  could  for  a  time  hold  the  place 
against  a  party  twice  as  strong  as  that  which  was 
coming  against  me,  and  I  was  so  mad  in  my  rage  and 


THE  RUINED  HUT  339 

disappointment,  that  I  swore  I  would  shoot  without 
mercy  any  living  soul  that  came  within  range. 

The  two  soldiers  came  galloping  up  to  the  point 
where  my  horse  had  now  fallen,  and  they  stood  chuck- 
ling at  the  successful  shot  which  had  wounded  him. 

I  singled  out  one  of  them — the  man  who,  as  I 
thought,  had  fired  the  fatal  shot — took  deliberate  aim, 
and  fired.  He  dropped  like  a  stone,  and  his  companion 
turned  instantly  and  scuttled  back  to  meet  the  other 
three,  who  were  now  closing  up  fast.  I  smiled  grimly 
as  I  thrust  in  another  cartridge,  and  was  turning  to 
look  for  the  next  quarry  when  my  heart  gave  another 
throb  of  dismay. 

The  place  seemed  alive  with  troops ;  and  I  saw 
another  horseman  coming  from  the  opposite  direction 
along  the  lane  towards  the  cottage,  and  I  did  not 
doubt  that  he  was  the  advance  guard  of  a  stronger 
patrol  following  behind. 

The  four  men  had  halted  out  of  range  and  were 
talking  excitedly  together,  and  I  was  thus  at  liberty  to 
watch  the  newcomer,  whose  movements  puzzled  me 
considerably.  When  he  heard  the  shot  from  my  gun, 
and  probably  saw  the  smoke,  instead  of  dashing  for- 
ward to  join  the  men  threatening  me,  or  falling  back 
upon  any  party  behind,  he  scuttled  off  the  road  and 
concealed  himself  in  a  small  clump  of  trees,  from 
which  he  seemed  to  be  scanning  the  cottage  where  I 
lay.  No  trooper  out  on  patrol  would  have  acted  so, 
and  I  concluded  promptly  that  he  was  in  some  such 
condition  as  myself,  and  as  eager  as  I  to  escape  the 
attentions  of  the  soldiers. 

Could  it  be  possible  that  he  was  a  friend?  The 
mere  thought  of  such  a  chance  in  my  desperate  posi- 
tion filled  me  with  excited  pleasure,  and,  stepping  for- 


340          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

ward,  I  stood  so  that  the  sun's  rays  fell  right  on  me  as 
I  faced  him,  and  I  waved  my  hand.  I  thought  he 
made  some  motion  with  his  hand  in  reply,  but  he  stood 
in  the  shadow  of  the  trees,  and  was  too  far  off  for  me 
to  see  him  clearly.  Then  I  waved  my  hand  again, 
beckoning  him  to  come  to  me,  and  had  time  to  do  no 
more  before  the  four  soldiers  began  to  move,  and  I 
had  to  step  back  under  shelter  and  watch  them. 

Apparently  they  had  resolved  to  make  a  dash  for  the 
cottage,  in  the  endeavour  to  capture  me  with  a  rush. 
But  they  should  never  reach  the  place  alive.  I  calcu- 
lated that  I  should  have  time  for  two  shots  with  the 
carbine  and  half-a-dozen  more  with  my  revolver,  and  if 
I  could  not  empty  the  four  saddles  my  hand  and  eye 
and  nerve  had  lost  their  cunning  indeed. 

They  crossed  into  the  field,  and  seeing  that  there 
were  no  windows  in  the  end  of  the  buildingfrom  which 
I  could  fire  upon  them,  they  kept  out  of  range  until 
they  were  in  a  line  with  the  end,  and  then  began  their 
advance.  A  shrewd  enough  plan,  had  I  been  a  fool  to 
be  caught  unawares,  or  a  coward  afraid  to  expose  my- 
self to  their  rickety  fire.  But  I  was  neither,  and  creep- 
ing out  at  the  front  I  was  in  a  position  to  take  a  kneel- 
ing shot  at  them  before  they  started  the  advance.  I 
don't  think  they  even  saw  me,  for  there  was  a  relic  of 
what  had  once  been  a  palisade  projecting  from  the  end 
of  the  house,  which  gave  an  excellent  cover,  and  I 
waited  till  they  were  well  within  range  before  I  fired. 
One  of  them  fell  forward,  and  I  had  reloaded  and  was 
taking  careful  aim  for  my  second  shot,  when  with  a 
loud  shout  they  pulled  up  hastily  and  made  ready  to 
fire  in  their  turn. 

I  didn't  give  them  time  to  shoot  before  I  fired  again, 
and  again  brought  one  of  them  out  of  his  saddle.  This 


THE  RUINED  HUT  341 

reduced  the  number  to  two,  and  neither  of  them  had 
any  relish  for  the  business.  They  discharged  their 
pieces  at  random,  wheeled  about  suddenly,  and  gal- 
loped back  faster  than  they  had  advanced.  I  had 
given  them  an  excellent  object-lesson  in  the  value  of 
good  shooting,  and  I  stood  watching  them  in  moody 
curiosity  to  see  what  they  would  do  next. 

Then  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  galloping  horse  from 
the  other  end  of  the  cottage,  and  when  I  ran  back 
quickly  to  learn  the  cause  I  had  indeed  a  joyful  sur- 
prise. It  was  the  horseman  I  had  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

"  Took  you  in  the  rear,  Count,"  said  a  deep  voice  I 
knew  so  well  ;  and  the  next  instant  Zoiloff  and  I  stood 
hand-locked,  his  stern  face  aglow  with  pleasure  and 
I  with  more  delight  in  my  heart  than  either  words 
or  eyes  could  tell.  Never  could  a  friend  have  been 
so  welcome,  and  none  more  welcome  than  Zoiloff.  I 
was  so  moved  that  I  could  not  even  find  words  to 
ask  the  news  which  I  was  burning  to  learn.  He  saw 
this,  and  said : 

"  All  is  well  with  the  Princess.  She  is  safe  at  Nish, 
waiting  for  you."  I  wrung  his  hand  afresh  in  my  de- 
light. 

"  Never  did  beleaguered  force  hear  better  news,"  I 
said. 

"The  beleaguered  force  is  doubled  now,"  he  an- 
swered, smiling.  "  Though  I  can't  say  it  seems  to 
need  strengthening,  judging  by  results.  But  now  we 
had  best  be  off,  for  the  country  between  here  and  the 
frontier  is  like  a  rabbit-warren  with  the  swarming 
troops.  We  shall  probably  have  to  hide,  for  we  can't 
hold  this  place  till  nightfall,  and  I  very  much  doubt  if 
we  can  get  through  the  pass  in  daylight." 


342  IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  I  have  a  permit  that  will  carry  us  through,"  I  said  ; 
"  but  I  have  no  horse  to  carry  it  on." 

"  I'll  soon  mend  that,"  he  answered,  and  without  a 
word  he  mounted  again  and  set  off  at  a  gallop  toward 
the  two  soldiers,  who  stood  together  holding  the  horses 
of  their  wounded  comrades  by  the  bridles.  What 
followed  was  a  gleam  of  farce  in  the  tragedy  that  sur- 
rounded us.  The  men  seeing  him  coming  were  in- 
stantly filled  with  alarm,  for  my  work  had  told  its  tale 
well  enough  on  their  nerves,  and  after  making  a  show 
of  resistance  and  firing  their  carbines  at  him  with 
scarcely  a  pretence  of  taking  aim,  they  plunged  their 
spurs  into  their  animals  and  shot  away  trying  to  lead 
the  other  horses  with  them.  But  Zoiloff  gained  at 
every  stride,  and  when  he  fired  his  revolver  after  them 
they  cast  off  the  led  horses  and  themselves  fled  for 
their  lives  in  sheer  scatterbrained  fright.  He  had  no 
difficulty  in  capturing  one  of  the  horses,  and  came 
cantering  back  to  me  smiling  and  victorious. 

"  What  rabbits,"  he  said  contemptuously. 

"  What  a  happy  thought  of  yours,"  I  replied,  as  I 
mounted,  and  we  stole  off,  keeping  the  cottage  between 
us  and  the  still  flying  soldiers. 

"  Shall  we  make  a  dash  for  it  and  risk  everything  ; 
or  shall  we  try  and  hide  ?  Those  curs  will  soon  be 
after  us  with  a  larger  pack  in  full  cry,  and  we  may  find 
it  difficult  to  hide." 

"  We'll  push  straight  for  the  frontier,"  I  answered, 
"  and  trust  to  old  Kolfort's  signature  to  get  us  through. 
The  patrols  seem  to  be  in  very  small  numbers,  and  if 
there's  any  trouble  we  can  show  fight.  But  now  tell 
me  what  has  happened,  for  I  am  on  fire  with  impa- 
tience to  hear  everything." 

"  Happily  there's  little  enough  to  tell,  for  by  some 


THE  RUINED  HUT  343 

means  we  managed  to  escape  all  interference,  and  under 
your  fellow  Markov's  guidance  we  reached  the  frontier 
without  let  or  question.  There  was  plenty  of  uneasi- 
ness after  we  left  you  as  to  whether  we  should  be  pur- 
sued ;  but  thanks,  I  suppose,  to  your  ruse,  we  were  not 
followed,  and  the  only  trouble  afterwards  was  in  the 
frontier  pass.  It  was  only  watched  in  the  loosest  man- 
ner in  the  world,  and  as  Markov  knew  his  business 
thoroughly  he  had  us  all  past  the  look-out  before  they 
had  even  a  suspicion  of  our  presence.  It  was  only  a 
matter  of  a  quick  gallop  then  for  a  bit  and  we  got 
through.  I  went  on  to  Nish  with  the  Princess,  who 
was  much  fatigued  of  course,  and  it  was  at  her  urgent 
request,  when  you  did  not  come  yesterday,  that  I  re- 
turned to  see  if  I  could  hear  any  tidings  of  you.  My 
uniform  saved  me  from  any  trouble,  and  I  was  intend- 
ing to  go  to  Sofia,  when  I  heard  the  firing  and  stopped 
to  see  what  it  meant.  I  saw  you  stand  out  in  the  sun 
glare  just  now,  and  though  I  could  not  definitely  rec- 
ognise you  at  such  a  distance  I  made  a  guess  it  was 
you,  and  rode  up  on  the  chance." 

"  You  left  the  Princess  well  ?  " 

"  In  all  save  her  anxiety  for  you  ;  and  that  we  may 
hope  to  remove  in  a  few  hours  now.  But  how  have 
you  fared  ?  " 

I  told  him  the  story,  and  he  listened  with  many  an 
approving  smile  and  nod,  looking  stern  and  serious-  at 
the  story  of  the  Countess  Bokara's  suicide,  and  laugh- 
ing at  the  trick  I  had  served  old  Kolfort. 

"  After  all  that,  we  are  not  going  to  be  stopped 
now,"  he  said  at  the  close ;  "although  we  shall  have 
need  of  clear  heads  and  perhaps  quick  hands  before  we 
are  through.  But  we  shall  know  soon.  You  see  that 
narrow  road  climbing  the  hill  yonder,  with  that  small 


344          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

station-house  about  half-way  up.  Well,  the  frontier 
line  runs  close  ahead  of  that ;  "  and  he  pointed  to  the 
spot.  "  Hullo  !  who  comes  ?  "  he  added  a  minute  later, 
as  we  turned  a  bend  of  the  road  and  came  upon  two 
or  three  horse-soldiers. 

We  were  riding  at  a  brisk  canter,  and  did  not  rein 
up  until  they  challenged  us.  Seeing  Zoiloff s  uniform 
they  saluted  him,  but  the  leader  turned  to  me  and 
asked  for  my  permit. 

"  I  am  on  special  service,"  I  said  quietly,  producing 
the  permit.  He  read  it,  returned  it  to  me,  drew  back 
for  us  to  proceed,  and  we  cantered  on  without  having 
wasted  a  minute. 

"  You  had  your  wits  about  you  when  you  got  that 
paper,"  said  Zoiloff,  laughing.  "  If  those  fellows  had 
only  known  what  that  special  service  was,  we  should 
have  had  a  brush  with  them.  Let's  hope  that  those 
at  the  barrier  will  be  as  easily  satisfied." 

"  It's  a  nasty-looking  road,"  said  I,  when  we  reached 
the  foot  of  the  long  tortuous  hill.  "  We'd  better  spare 
the  cattle  in  case  of  a  bother,"  and  we  pulled  up  to  a 
walking  pace.  I  scanned  the  station-house  closely  as 
we  came  in  sight  of  it. 

"  I  wish  to  Heaven  it  was  night.  We  could  steal  up 
that  path  there,"  said  Zoiloff,  pointing  to  the  right  of 
the  road.  "  That's  how  Markov  managed  it.  It  leads 
out  again  about  twenty  or  thirty  yards  on  this  side  of 
the  station-house  yonder,  and  we  rattled  through  at  a 
gallop." 

"  How  many  men  are  stationed  there,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't  see  more  than  half-a-dozen  or  so  all  told 
this  morning  when  I  passed,  and  I  stopped  intention- 
ally and  chatted  with  the  officer  in  command.  But  in 
a  narrow  place  like  this  six  men  can  do  a  lot." 


THE  RUINED  HUT  345 

"  I  see  there's  a  telegraph-wire.  I  hope  the  General 
hasn't  managed  to  send  a  message,"  I  returned  un- 
easily. 

"  I  should  think  not,  judging  by  the  ease  with  which 
those  men  below  there  were  satisfied.  But  I  mean  to 
get  through.  Once  past  the  station-house,  and  we 
haven't  more  than  two  or  three  hundred  yards  to  gallop 
before  we're  in  Servia.  But  I  confess  I  never  thought 
of  the  telegraph,"  and  Zoiloff  shook  his  head. 

"Well,  we'll  try  the  papers  first  and  the  pistols  after- 
wards, in  case  of  need.  And  they  won't  find  it  easy 
to  stop  us." 

But  as  we  drew  closer  I  saw  what  Zoiloff  meant 
about  the  ease  with  which  a  handful  of  resolute  men 
could  hold  such  a  spot. 

"  They've  turned  out  to  receive  us,"  he  said,  as  we 
saw  an  officer  posting  men  to  block  the  road.  "  He 
won't  attempt  to  stop  me,  I  expect,  and  while  you're 
showing  him  your  permit  I'll  edge  past  and  try  to  get 
the  men  out  of  their  order  so  as  to  leave  a  gap  for  you 
to  dash  through.  Then  I'll  follow  you,  and  they  may 
hesitate  about  firing  on  me." 

"  Very  well ;  but  we  can't  make  much  of  a  plan. 
Probably  I  may  find  it  best  to  appear  to  yield  at  first 
and  then  wait  for  the  moment  to  make  the  rush  ;  "  and 
with  that  we  rode  on  slowly,  watching  the  men  ahead 
of  us  closely,  but  laughing  and  chatting  together  as 
though  the  last  thought  in  our  heads  was  of  any  chance 
of  being  stopped.  And  we  were  both  laughing  heartily 
as  at  some  joke  when  the  officer  in  command  met 
Zoiloff  with  a  salute  and  turned  to  address  me. 

"  Your  permit,  sir,  if  you  please,"  he  said  courteously, 
but  as  I  thought  with  a  glance  of  suspicion. 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied,  and  I  took  it  out  and  handed 


346          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

it  to  him.  As  he  read  it  Zoiloff  pushed  forward  and 
entered  into  conversation  with  the  men.  There  were 
only  five  of  them,  making  six  with  the  officer,  as  Zoiloff 
had  said,  and  they  were  on  foot.  I  saw  him  push  his 
horse  between  the'two  at  the  end  of  the  short  line,  and 
then  as  he  chatted  he  coolly  turned  his  horse  broad- 
side on  the  road,  thus  making  a  big  gap.  It  was 
cleverly  done,  and  he  sat  there  saying  something  which 
made  the  men  laugh. 

"  This  mentions  no  name,  sir,"  said  the  officer,  look- 
ing up  from  the  paper.  "  May  I  inquire  your 
name?" 

"Certainly.  I  am  the  Hon.  Gerald  Winthrop,  an 
Englishman."  The  reply  perplexed  him. 

"  An  Englishman  ?  And  on  special  service  for  Gen- 
eral Kolfort  ?  I  don't  wish  to  appear  impertinent,  but 
have  you  another  name?  " 

"  I  am  also  a  Roumanian  Count — Count  Benderoff." 

"Ah!"  His  tone  told  me  at  once  that  he  had  had 
some  instructions  about  me,  and  I  began  to  prepare 
for  emergencies.  "  I  am  placed  in  an  awkward  posi- 
tion, Count,  but  I'm  afraid  I  cannot  allow  you  to 
pass." 

"  My  business  is  very  urgent,  lieutenant." 

"  The  delay  will  probably  be  only  a  brief  one.  I  am 
expecting  a  messenger  from  General  Kolfort,  and  I 
thought  you  were  probably  from  him.  No  doubt  the 
moment  he  arrives  you  will  be  at  liberty  to  proceed. 
But  you'll  understand  my  position. tf 

"  The  consequences  of  stopping  me  may  be  serious." 

"  So  may  be  those  of  allowing  you  to  pass,  Count. 
But  in  any  case  I  have  no  alternative." 

••  But  I  have  ridden  straight  from  General  Kolfort 
himself,  who  handed  me  the  permit  personally." 


THE  RUINED  HUT  347 

"  My  instructions  have  come  over  the  wires,  and 
within  the  last  few  minutes ;  and  they  are  imperative 
not  to  allow  you  to  pass  until  the  General  himself  or 
those  he  is  sending  shall  arrive.  If  you  will  dismount 
I  will  try  to  make  the  delay  as  little  irksome  as  possible, 
though  one's  resources  in  a  God-forsaken  place  like  this 
are  not  abundant." 

"Do  you  mean  you  wish  to  arrest  me?"  I  asked 
quickly. 

"  Certainly  not.  You  are  at  liberty  to  return  if  you 
please ;  my  instructions  are  merely  not  to  allow  you 
to  pass  the  frontier." 

"  Quiet,  mare  ! "  I  called  to  my  horse,  which  was 
fidgeting  and  plunging  restlessly,  as  I  touched  her 
secretly  with  my  heel,  making  it  difficult  for  him  to  lay 
his  hand  on  the  bridle.  Then  I  laughed  as  if  the  thing 
were  a  joke,  and  I  gave  Zoiloff  a  look.  He  understood 
it,  and  began  to  edge  his  horse  so  as  to  leave  room  for 
me  to  pass. 

"  It's  very  ridiculous,"  I  said  to  the  officer,  who  had 
drawn  a  little  away  from  me,  "  but  I  suppose  there's 
no  help  for  it ;  and  in  any  case  I  shall  be  glad  of  some 
breakfast." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted  to  be  your  host,"  he  replied, 
without  a  suspicion  of  my  intention  ;  and  he  called  to 
one  of  the  men  to  come  and  hold  my  horse. 

This  made  the  gap  in  their  rank  larger  than  ever; 
and,  causing  my  horse  to  fidget  and  strain  at  the  bit, 
I  suddenly  slackened  the  reins,  plunged  my  heels  into 
her  flanks,  and  darted  away  up  the  hill  as  fast  as  she 
could  gallop. 

"Hallo!  She's  run  away  with  him!  "said  Zoiloff; 
and  he  wheeled  round  and  dashed  after  me. 

It  was  some  seconds  before  the  officer  realised  how 


348          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

we  had  fooled  him.  Then  we  heard  the  order  given  to 
fire  after  us,  and  the  next  instant  the  report  of  the  guns 
rang  out,  echoing  and  re-echoing  among  the  crags  on 
either  side  of  the  narrow  gorge. 

The  bullets  whistled  by  me ;  and,  glancing  back,  I 
saw  that  Zoiloff  was  following  all  right.  A  second 
volley  was  fired,  but  not  until  we  had  already  passed 
the  frontier ;  and  I  did  not  draw  rein  till  I  was  nearly 
to  the  crest  of  the  hill  and  within  sight  of  the  Servian 
station-house  over  the  crest.  Then  I  found  that  Zoiloff 
was  not  so  close  to  me  as  he  should  have  been,  and  I 
halted  to  wait  for  him.  Below  him  I  saw  the  officer 
and  two  of  the  men  had  mounted  and  were  in  hot 
pursuit. 

Zoiloff  was  leaning  forward  curiously  in  the  saddle, 
sitting  very  loosely,  and  his  horse  could  hardly  move. 
I  rode  back  to  him,  filled  with  alarm. 

He  looked  up  as  I  neared,  and  I  saw  his  face  was 
bloodless.  He  tried  to  wave  to  me  to  go  forward,  but 
his  hand  fell  listlessly. 

"Are  you  wounded,  friend  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  No — at  least  not  much.  Go  on  !  "  he  said,  his  voice 
weak  and  faint ;  and  his  horse  was  staggering  so  that 
I  thought  it  would  fall.  Meanwhile  the  men  behind 
were  coming  up  quickly. 

"  Come  on  to  my  horse,"  I  cried,  my  heart  sick 
with  pain  and  fear  for  him,  as  I  rode  to  his  side  and 
tried  to  lift  him  off.  But  at  that  moment  his  horse 
went  down  heavily,  and  only  with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty did  I  save  Zoiloff  from  an  ugly  fall. 

In  a  moment  I  dismounted.  There  was  no  time 
now  to  mount  with  him  on  my  horse,  so  I  laid  him 
under  cover  of  his  own  fallen  animal  and  turned  with 
bitter  rage  in  my  heart  to  check  the  men  behind  us,  as 


THE  RUINED  HUT  349 

well  as  to  revenge  the  hurt  of  my  staunch  friend,  who 
had  given  himself  to  save  me. 

Snatching  the  carbine  from  my  saddle,  I  knelt  down, 
and,  firing  over  the  prone  horse,  I  aimed  at  the  fore- 
most rider,  who  fell  in  a  huddled  mass  on  to  his  horse's 
shoulder  and  then  dropped  to  the  ground. 

I  was  ramming  home  another  cartridge  as  the  other 
two  halted  and  took  aim.  I  crouched  under  shelter  of 
the  horse,  and  felt  him  quiver  and  kick  feebly  as  one 
of  the  bullets  plugged  into  him ;  and  then  the  men 
came  dashing  forward  again. 

But  not  for  many  strides,  for  my  second  shot  sent 
the  officer  toppling  out  of  his  saddle  heavily  to  the 
rough  road.  I  loaded  again  instantly,  for  the  sight  of 
Zoiloff's  death-white  face  and  the  thought  of  his 
wound  maddened  me  so  that  I  could  have  killed  a 
dozen  men  in  cold  blood  to  avenge  him. 

The  remaining  trooper  had  little  stomach  for  any 
further  fight,  however,  and  he  reined  up  and  stood 
irresolute. 

"  Go  back,  if  you  care  for  your  life,"  I  called  to  him. 
"  We  are  on  Servian  ground,  and  you  have  no  right  to 
pursue  me."  He  was  afraid  for  his  own  skin  to  come 
on,  and  yet  afraid  for  duty's  sake  to  turn  back,  and  I 
saw  him  open  his  carbine  at  the  breech  to  reload. 

I  did  not  give  him  time  to  do  that,  however,  before 
I  fired.  I  missed  the  man,  but  struck  his  weapon, 
shattering  it  in  his  hand.  This  was  much  more  con- 
vincing than  any  words,  and,  recognising  his  unarmed 
helplessness,  he  wheeled  his  horse  round  and  rode  off 
back  down  the  hill. 

I  had  won  ;  but  what  a  price  had  the  victory  cost ! 

I  bent  over  my  wounded  friend,  my  heart  sick  with 
my  grief. 


350         IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"  Fly !  "  he  whispered.  Wounded  sorely  as  he  was, 
his  thoughts  were  all  for  me  and  none  for  himself. 

"  There  is  no  need,  my  dear  friend.  There's  no  one 
to  follow  us.  Can  you  bear  for  me  to  lift  you  on  to  my 
horse  ?  We're  safe." 

"  I'm  glad.  I'm  not  hurt  much,"  he  whispered, 
trying  to  smile. 

I  lifted  him  in  my  arms,  and,  drawing  my  horse  to  a 
stone  by  the  side  of  the  road,  managed  to  mount  with 
him  ;  and  then,  saving  him  all  in  my  power  from  the 
jolting  of  the  horse,  I  walked  up  the  rest  of  the  hill  and 
over  to  the  Servian  station-house. 

The  men  turned  out  to  meet  us. 

"  My  friend  is  sorely  wounded,"  said  I. 

"  I  heard  the  firing,  but  my  orders  are  not  to  inter- 
fere," said  the  officer  in  command. 

"  The  outrage  was  committed  on  Servian  territory," 
I  replied. 

"  I  have  strict  orders  not  to  cause  any  trouble  with 
the  Bulgarians  just  at  present,"  he  said,  as  if  by  way 
of  apologetic  explanation  of  his  not  having  come  to 
my  aid.  "We  don't  inquire  too  closely  into  what  is 
done  east  of  the  station-house." 

"  Can  you  give  me  a  place  where  my  friend  can 
rest  ?  " 

He  looked  uneasy  at  the  question  and  hesitated. 

"  Can't  he  bear  any  further  journey?" 

"  He  is  badly  wounded,  sir,"  I  returned,  with  some 
indignation. 

"  I  can  do  better  than  give  him  a  bed  here.  My 
men  shall  carry  him  on  a  litter  down  to  the  village  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  where  there  is  a  priest  who  knows 
something  of  surgery,  and  he  can  get  medical  aid." 

"  As  quick  as  you  can,  for  God's  sake  ! "  I  said. 


THE  RUINED  HUT  351 

Poor  Zoiloff  had  fainted,  and  lay  helpless  in  my  arms, 
his  head  resting  on  my  shoulder. 

The  men  lifted  him  gently  off  the  horse,  the  litter 
was  brought  out,  and  I  helped  to  place  him  in  it. 

"  I'm  afraid  I  needn't  ask  for  his  papers,"  said  the 
officer,  as  the  men  moved  off. 

I  showed  him  my  English  passport,  as  clearing  the 
way  for  me,  and,  with  a  mere  glance  at  it,  he  returned 
it. 

"  I  hope  you  will  have  better  news  than  I  fear  of 
your  friend,"  he  said  warmly. 

I  could  not  answer  him  ;  I  was  too  broken  with  this 
new  trouble.  I  followed  the  mournful  little  procession, 
and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  that  as  I  watched  it 
and  gazed  at  the  white  face  in  the  litter  my  eyes 
were  more  than  once  half  blinded  by  tears. 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

"  GREATER  LOVE  HATH   NO   MAN  " 

DOWN  in  that  lonely  Servian  village,  nestling  beauti- 
fully at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills,  a  scene  followed, 
inexpressibly  sad  and  mournful  to  me. 

We  carried  Zoiloff  to  the  house  of  the  priest,  a  man 
whose  heart  was  as  large  as  his  means  were  straitened, 
and  together  we  laid  my  poor  friend  on  the  low  truckle 
bed  in  the  barely  furnished  room.  I  helped  while  the 
examination  of  his  wounds  was  made,  watching  the 
priest's  face  with  an  anxiety  that  cannot  be  put  in 
words. 

"  How  did  it  happen  ?  "  he  whispered. 

"  A  gunshot  wound  somewhere  in  the  back,  I  fear," 
I  told  him. 

But  there  was  no  need  for  this  explanation,  for  the 
blood  guided  him  to  the  wound  easily  enough. 

"  The  ball  has  passed  through  his  body  and  through 
his  right  lung." 

"  Is  there  any  hope  ?  "  I  asked,  my  own'heart  answer, 
ing  the  question  before  it  was  asked.  He  shook  his 
head  sadly. 

"On  this  earth  none,"  he  said.  He  stopped  the 
bleeding,  which  was  comparatively  slight. 

"  There  is  very  little  blood,"  I  said,  hoping  against 
hope. 

"  The  bleeding  is  internal.  No  man  can  save  him. 
I  have  done  all  that  can  be  done.  Let  us  pray  for  him." 
352 


"GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN"     353 

He  laid  my  friend  back  on  the  bed  with  a  touch  as 
deft  and  gentle  as  a  woman's,  and  kneeling  by  the 
bedside,  he  began  to  pray  earnestly  and  fervently,  in  a 
soft  voice  rich  with  the  rare  gem  of  unaffected  sym- 
pathy. Following  his  example,  I  knelt  on  the  other 
side  of  the  bed,  and,  with  my  face  buried  in  my  hands, 
I  tried  to  follow  his  prayers  through  the  tumult  of  my 
thronging  emotions  at  the  knowledge  that  this  brave, 
staunch  friend  must  die,  and  that  it  was  his  friendship 
that  had  cost  him  his  life. 

How  long  the  good  priest  prayed  I  know  not,  but 
after  a  time  I  was  conscious  that  the  rich,  sweet  voice 
had  ceased,  and  when  I  looked  up  I  was  alone  with  my 
dying  comrade. 

I  got  up  from  my  knees,  and  placing  the  one  rush 
chair  by  the  bed.  sat  down  to  watch  for  the  end  and 
wait  lest  he  should  return  to  consciousness. 

A  short  time  later  the  priest  looked  in  and  beckoned 
me. 

"  The  men  who  carried  your  friend  here  are  still 
waiting;  shall  I  keep  them  any  longer?  "  I  placed  my 
purse  in  his  hands  to  give  them  what  he  would,  merely 
asking  him  to  reward  them  generously. 

"  Will  he  recover  consciousness  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  It  were  better  not,  but  he  is  in  God's  hands,"  he 
answered  reverently  ;  and  I  stole  back  to  my  chair  to 
resume  my  vigil. 

He  looked  already  like  a  dead  man,  and  I  had  to 
hold  my  ear  close  to  his  mouth  before  I  could  catch 
the  faintest  sign  of  his  breathing.  I  felt  for  the  pulse 
and  could  detect  no  flicker  of  it,  and  then  I  laid  my 
fingers  gently  over  his  heart.  The  beats  were  barely 
to  be  discerned.  As  I  drew  my  hand  away  I  came 
upon  a  secret.  A  dead  flower  bound  by  a  wisp  of  faded 
23 


354          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

ribbon  was  fastened  close  to  his  heart,  both  flower  and 
ribbon  dabbled  with  his  blood. 

The  sight  of  the  little  withered  memorial  of  a  dead 
passion,  so  wholly  unexpected  in  one  I  had  found  so 
hard  and  stern,  affected  me  deeply.  I  held  it  a  mo- 
ment, wondering  what  lay  behind,  and  where  and  who 
was  the  woman  whose  heart  would  be  stricken  by  the 
blow  of  his  death  even  as  sorely  as  mine  would  be. 
Then  I  laid  it  so  that  it  rested  on  his  faithful  heart, 
and,  taking  his  hand,  sat  with  it  in  mine. 

The  hours  passed  uncounted  by  me.  Once  or  twice 
the  good  priest  came  back  to  the  room,  and  at  length, 
when  Zoiloff  showed  no  sign  of  a  return  to  conscious- 
ness, he  administered  the  last  rites  of  the  Church.  The 
sacrament  was  placed  between  the  nerveless  lips,  and 
the  priest  and  I  joined  in  the  solemn  ceremonial. 

"  He  will  not  last  long.  I  am  surprised  he  is  still 
alive,"  he  said,  when  the  simple,  beautiful  ceremony 
was  over.  "  God  be  merciful  to  him  !  " 

When  the  priest  left  the  room  I  followed  and  asked 
for  some  brandy,  as  I  thought  there  might  be  some 
last  message  Zoiloff  might  wish  to  send  by  me,  and  I 
hoped  to  rouse  a  final  flicker  of  strength  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

I  poured  a  few  drops  into  his  mouth  with  a  spoon, 
and  after  a  few  minutes  gave  him  a  second  dose.  I 
detected,  as  I  thought,  some  signs  of  a  rally  of  strength, 
and  gave  him  more,  and  sat  with  his  hand  in  mine  and 
my  eyes  on  his  face  and  waited. 

"  Zoiloff,  Zoiloff,  my  dear  friend  !  "  I  called  gently. 

To  my  delight  his  eyelids  quivered  slightly,  and 
after  a  moment  or  two  they  opened  and  he  looked  at 
me.  He  recognised  me,  and  his  mouth  moved  as  if 
to  smile,  and  I  felt  a  slight,  very  slight,  pressure  of  the 


"GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN"     355 

hand.  I  gave  him  more  of  the  spirit,  and  it  appeared 
to  lend  him  a  little  strength. 

His  lips  moved  as  if  to  speak  and  his  eyes  bright- 
ened. 

I  felt  his  hand  move  in  mine  as  if  he  would  lift  it, 
and,  guessing  his  wish,  I  lifted  it  to  his  heart  so  that 
the  fingers  could  feel  the  little  treasure  of  love 
that  lay  there.  His  fingers  closed  over  it,  and  he 
smiled  again.  But  his  strength  would  not  suffer  him 
to  hold  his  arm  up,  so  I  propped  it  up,  that  the  hand 
might  rest  on  the  flower. 

"  Can  you  hear  me,  ZoilofT  ?     Do  you  know  me  ?  " 

His  lips  moved  and  his  eyes  seemed  to  assent. 

"  Can  I  carry  any  message  for  you  ?  "  and  I  laid  my 
fingers  on  the  dead  flower  to  show  my  meaning,  and 
then  bent  my  ear  down  to  his  mouth. 

He  seemed  to  make  a  great  effort  to  speak,  and  I 
caught  a  struggling  of  the  breath,  as  I  held  my  own  in 
the  eager  strain  to  listen.  But  finding  he  could  not 
speak  I  gave  him  a  few  drops  more  of  the  brandy,  now 
convinced  that  he  wished  to  say  something. 

"  Have  you  any  message,  dear  friend  ?  "  I  asked  again, 
as  I  bent  down. 

There  came  another  pause  of  effort  and  then  I  caught 
a  word. 

"  Christina's,"  and  I  felt  the  fingers  near  his  heart 
close  on  the  flower. 

In  an  instant  the  full  knowledge  of  his  heroic  sacri- 
fice rushed  upon  me.  He  loved  Christina ;  and  in  the 
nobleness  of  his  self-denying  love  he  had  given  his  life 
that  mine  should  be  saved  for  her. 

I  grasped  his  other  hand  and  held  it,  as  I  pressed  my 
lips  to  his  marble  forehead. 

Then  I  saw  his  lips  move  again. 


356          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

"Leave  it,"  and  the  movement  of  his  fingers  near  his 
heart  told  me  what  he  meant. 

"  On  my  honour,  Zoiloff,"  I  said  earnestly.  "  God 
bless  you !  the  staunchest  friend  man  ever  had.  I 
never  dreamt  of  this." 

"  Don't  tell  her,"  he  whispered,  trying  to  shake  his 
head.  Then  I  felt  his  hand  try  to  lift  mine,  and,  divin- 
ing his  wish,  I  laid  mine  to  his  lips,  and  he  kissed  it. 
This  effort  exhausted  the  little  reserve  of  strength,  and 
with  a  sigh  his  eyes  closed,  and  his  hand  slipped  utterly 
nerveless  and  flaccid  from  mine. 

I  thought  he  was  gone  ;  but  he  was  not,  and  when  I 
held  a  glass  to  his  lips  there  was  a  faint  dulling  with  his 
breath.  Taking  his  hand  again  in  mine,  I  waited  for 
the  end. 

He  lingered  perhaps  an  hour  longer  till  the  twilight 
began  to  gloom  the  little  chamber,  and  I  was  hoping 
that  he  would  pass  away  in  this  peaceful  slumber  of  un- 
consciousness, when  I  heard  his  breath  strengthen  sud- 
denly. He  opened  his  eyes;  the  fingers  on  the  flower 
at  his  heart  tightened  into  almost  a  firm  clasp  ;  a  quiver 
shook  his  body,  and  raising  his  head  slightly  from  the 
pillow,  he  cried  in  a  voice  strong  enough  to  surprise 
and  for  an  instant  give  me  hope: 

"  Christina,  Chris "  The  word  was  not  finished 

before  the  spasm  of  strength  was  spent,  and  he  fell  back 
again  with  a  deep  sigh. 

He  was  dead ;  and  I  thank  God  that  in  the  last 
struggle  of  his  strong  brave  soul  to  escape  he  had  been 
comforted  by  the  love  which  had  controlled  and  im- 
pulsed every  act  and  motive  of  his  life,  and  which  he 
had  carried  locked  away  from  the  knowledge  of  all  the 
world  in  the  deepest  recess  of  his  loyal,  noble  heart. 

If  I  had  treasured  him  as  a  friend  in  his  life,  I  loved 


"GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN"    357 

him  in  his  self-denying  death  ;  and  when  I  had  satisfied 
myself  that  he  had  really  passed,  I  flung  myself  on  my 
knees  by  his  bier  and  wept  like  a  woman. 

The  room  was  dark  when  I  rose  from  my  uncontroll- 
able passion  of  grief,  and  I  pressed  my  lips  to  his  cold 
forehead  before  I  drew  the  sheet  over  the  dead  face 
and  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE    END 

IT  was  with  a  heavy  heart  that  I  mounted  my  horse 
and,  accompanied  by  a  guide  whom  the  priest  found 
for  me,  set  out  that  night  for  the  railway  station  to 
take  the  train  to  Nish.  Even  the  thought  that  the 
morrow  would  see  me  with  Christina  could  not  at  first 
relieve  the  gloom  of  my  sorrow  or  take  from  my  eyes 
the  picture  of  the  cold  still  form  of  my  dead  friend, 
lying  in  the  sombre  bare  room  in  the  priest's  house.  I 
had  left  him  full  instructions  for  sending  on  the  body 
to  Nish,  and  had  given  him  a  sum  of  money  which 
made  him  glad  with  the  thought  of  all  the  charities  he 
could  dispense  among  the  poor  of  the  village. 

But  youth  is  youth  and  love  is  love,  and  as  the  miles 
passed  which  brought  me  nearer  to  Christina  the  drear 
mournfulness  of  my  grief  for  the  dead  began  to  lose  its 
blackness  beneath  the  glamour  of  my  love  for  the  living. 
It  was  a  sad  tale  I  had  to  carry  her  after  all,  and  though 
in  obedience  to  my  comrade's  dying  wish  I  could  tell 
her  nothing  of  his  love  for  her,  I  knew  how  she  would 
mourn  his  loss.  But  love  is  selfish  ;  and  when  at  length 
I  reached  Nish  my  heart  was  beating  fast  with  the 
throbbing  of  the  delicious,  delirious  knowledge  that  we 
were  close  together  again,  with  no  obstacle  to  bar  the 
mutual  avowal  of  our  passion,  and  no  need  to  dread 
another  parting. 

It  was  far  too  late  when  I  arrived  for  me  to  seek  her 
358 


THE  END  359 

that  night,  and  I  myself  was  so  spent  with  my  experi- 
ences of  the  last  thirty  hours  that  I  was  glad  to  throw 
myself  on  a  bed.  Excited  though  I  was,  I  slept  soundly 
for  some  hours,  and  did  not  awake  until  the  sun  had 
long  been  streaming  into  my  room. 

I  hurried,  of  course,  to  the  British  Consul  for  tidings 
of  Christina.  He  told  me  she  was  staying  in  his  house, 
and,  at  my  request,  sent  at  once  to  tell  her  I  had  ar- 
rived. 

"There  is  great  news  this  morning,  Mr.  Winthrop," 
he  said  ;  "  news  that  will  interest  you  as  much  as  it  has 
me.  The  Russian  plot  has  failed.  Thanks  largely  to 
my  colleague,  the  English  Consul  at  Philippopoli,  Gen- 
eral Mountkoroff  has  declared  for  the  Prince,  and  he  is 
even  at  this  minute  marching  on  Sofia  with  the  flower 
of  the  Bulgarian  army  against  the  traitors  who  sold 
themselves  to  this  Kolfort  and  Russia." 

"Will  the  Prince  return  then?" 

"  Assuredly  he  will.  The  Powers  will  stand  be- 
hind Mountkoroff,  and  Russia  will  not  venture  to 
resist." 

"  Then  my  friend  Lieutenant  Spernow  will  be  safe," 
I  said,  describing  briefly  the  plight  in  which  I  had  left 
him. 

"  You  need  not  have  a  moment's  uneasiness.  Rus- 
sian influence  for  the  moment  will  decline  to  zero,  and 
the  Prince's  friends  will  be  paramount." 

"  Will  you  telegraph  at  once  for  news  of  him  ?  " 

"  Willingly  ;  "  and  he  went  at  once  to  give  his  instruc- 
tions. The  result  was  all  I  could  have  wished,  and 
later  in  the  day  telegrams  arrived  from  Spernow  him- 
self, saying  that  both  he  and  Mademoiselle  Broumoff 
were  safe. 

"The  Princess  Christina  is  ready  to  receive  you,"  he 


360          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

said  when  he  came  back.  "Will  you  come  with 
me?" 

I  followed  him  with  heart  beating  high,  and,  as  if  he 
understood  how  matters  were,  he  opened  the  door  of  a 
room  and  stood  back  for  me  to  enter  alone. 

She  had  been  eagerly  watching  for  my  coming,  but, 
thinking  that  perhaps  the  Consul  would  be  with  me, 
she  had  put  a  strong  restraint  upon  herself,  and  stood 
waiting  in  an  attitude  of  reserve.  But  the  colour  man- 
tling her  cheeks,  and  the  bright  glow  in  her  eyes,  told 
me  her  feelings,  and  as  soon  as  she  saw  me  enter  by 
myself  she  ran  to  meet  me,  and  with  a  glad  cry  threw 
herself  into  my  arms  with  the  utter  self-abandonment 
of  love. 

It  was  no  moment  for  speech,  and  many  minutes 
passed  with  nothing  more  than  an  exclamation  or  two 
of  delight  or  a  few  softly  breathed  words  of  passion. 
All  thoughts  of  the  dangers  passed,  the  anxieties  still 
present,  even  of  my  poor  dead  friend,  were  lost,  and 
merged  in  the  ecstasy  of  holding  in  my  arms  the 
woman  I  loved  beyond  all  else  on  earth,  looking  into 
her  eyes  glowing  with  love  for  me,  hearing  my  name 
whispered  in  her  moving  voice,  and  feeling  her  lips 
pressed  to  mine.  It  was  a  moment  of  love  rapture, 
and  so  untellable  in  any  language  but  that  which  love 
itself  speaks. 

When  at  length  we  drew  apart,  the  first  wild  rush  of 
excitement  past,  and  sat  handlocked  to  talk,  I  saw  how 
anxiety  and  suspense  had  paled  her,  and  how  deeply 
she  had  suffered. 

She  listened  intently  to  the  story  of  my  experiences 
since  we  had  parted ;  and  the  ebbing  and  flowing 
colour,  the  passing  light  and  shadow  in  her  eyes,  and 
the  quick  catches  in  her  breath  told  of  varied  feelings 


THE  END  361 

which  the  recital  roused.  When  I  came  to  the  sad 
story  of  poor  gallant  Zoiloff's  wound  and  death,  she 
was  moved  to  tears  of  deep  and  tender  regret.  But 
we  were  lovers  and  but  just  reunited,  and  the  inter- 
change of  sympathies  and  mutual  comfort  in  this  our 
first  sorrow  in  common  served  to  awake  a  fresh  chord 
in  the  rhythmic  harmony  of  our  love. 

For  her  friend,  Mademoiselle  Broumoff,  she  was  still 
full  of  tender  concern,  and  it  was  a  cause  of  rare  hap- 
piness that,  while  we  were  still  together — for  the  inter- 
view lasted  some  hours — the  news  came  over  the  wires 
telling  us  that  she  and  Spernowwere  safe,  and  coming 
post  haste  to  join  us  at  Nish. 

There  was  but  one  shadow,  besides  Zoiloff's  death, 
that  hovered  in  the  background.  The  question  whether 
she  would  feel  it  her  duty  to  return  to  Sofia.  I  asked 
her  with  some  dread. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  it  while  we  talked,  and 
since  you  told  me  of  the  turn  which  matters  have 
taken,"  she  said,  her  voice  low  and  anxious,  as  if  she 
were  undecided. 

I  remembered  my  despatch  to  the  Foreign  Office 
urging  that  support  should  be  given  to  her.  But  it 
was  not  in  my  power  to  wish  that  she  should  go  ;  for  I 
knew  that  it  might  still  mean  the  breaking  asunder  of 
our  paths  in  life. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Gerald  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  think  on  such  a  subject,  I  can  only  fear," 
I  replied  in  a  tone  as  low  and  tense  as  her  own.  "  I 
might  lose  you  then." 

"Shall  the  woman  or  the  Princess  answer  it?"  she 
asked,  her  face  all  womanly  with  the  light  of  love. 

"  The  lover,  Christina,"  I  whispered. 

"  Then  it  is  answered :  my  place  is  here,"  she  said 


362          IN  THE  NAME  OF  A  WOMAN 

softly.  "The  woman  is  stronger  than  the  Princess 
where  you  are  concerned,  Gerald  ;  or  should  I  say 
weaker?"  she  added,  smiling  up  to  me. 

"  We  will  leave  it  soon  for  the  wife  to  decide  the 
term,"  said  I,  and  the  answer  brought  a  vivid  blush  to 
her  face.  But  it  pleased  her,  for  she  sighed  happily  as 
she  let  her  head  sink  contentedly  on  my  shoulder. 

It  is  six  years  since  the  stirring  events  happened  of 
which  I  have  just  written,  sitting  at  my  study  table  in 
my  lovely  English  home.  As  I  lay  the  pen  down  and 
close  my  eyes  in  reverie  two  memory  pictures  come 
before  me.  The  one  black-edged  with  the  gloom  of 
sorrow  and  death,  the  other  radiant  with  the  glowing 
promise  of  since  realised  happiness. 

In  that  far  away  Servian  town  the  bearers  have  just 
set  down  a  coffin  by  the  side  of  a  freshly-dug  grave. 
The  priest  is  reading  the  funeral  service ;  the  white- 
robed  choristers  cluster  near  him ;  Spernow  and  I 
stand  side  by  side  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  listening  to 
the  words  as  they  fall  in  rhythmic  chant  from  the 
priest's  lips,  and  thinking  of  the  gallant  comrade  whose 
bones  are  being  lowered  to  their  last  resting-place,  and 
I  of  the  strange  secret  of  his  hopeless,  noble,  self- 
denying  love  that  is  being  buried  with  him.  The  final 
moment  comes.  The  sturdy  bearers  lift  the  coffin  and 
lower  it,  and  pull  up  the  ropes  with  a  rasp  that  sounds 
like  the  severing  of  all  hope  ;  the  earth  is  cast  down  by 
the  priest  and  falls  clattering  on  the  lid,  and  the  service 
goes  on  to  its  melancholy  finish.  The  priest  pro- 
nounces the  last  words  of  prayer  and  blessing ;  stands 
a  moment  with  covered  face  in  silent  prayer,  and  then 
turns  away,  followed  by  the  little  choir.  Spernow  and 
I  move  forward  to  take  the  last  look  at  the  coffin — a 


THE  END  363 

long,  lingering,  memory-fraught  look — and  when  we  in 
our  turn  move  sadly  away  and  our  eyes  meet,  I  see  that 
my  companion's  are  wet  with  tears.  Poor,  brave,  noble 
Zoiloff,  lying  in  that  far  away  lonely  grave ! 

In  the  other  picture  Spernow  and  I  are  again  among 
the  chief  figures,  but  not  alone  now.  Nathalie  is  by 
his  side,  Christina  by  mine.  Again  there  is  the  same 
priest  and  the  same  choir,  but  we  stand  in  the  lofty 
chancel  of  a  stately  church,  and  the  words  are  not  of 
death  but  of  marriage.  Around  us  a  small  group  is 
gathered,  well-wishers,  relatives,  and  friends,  with  faces 
bright  with  gladness  and  tongues  eager  to  burst  out 
with  noisy  congratulations  and  fervent  wishes  for  our 
happiness.  And  when  the  blessing  has  been  given, 
and  we  lead  our  brides  down  the  aisle,  the  mighty 
building  resounds  with  the  pealing  notes  of  the  organ, 
and  we  leave  the  church  through  groups  of  curiously 
garbed  men  and  women. 

And  at  that  point  my  reverie  is  broken  by  sounds  of 
children's  prattle.  I  look  out  on  to  the  sunlit  lawn  to 
where  Christina  is  kneeling  and  listening  with  a  smile 
to  the  cheery  chatter  of  our  two  children.  All  is 
warmth,  peace,  love,  and  rest  in  my  English  life  now ; 
and,  as  I  glance  at  my  dear  ones,  I  thank  Heaven  with 
fervent  gratitude  that  they  are  not  destined  to  aspire 
to  the  dangerous  splendour  and  evanescent  glory  of  a 
minor  Throne.  I  get  up  quietly,  and  stepping  through 
the  window  into  the  sunlight,  am  hailed  with  a  cry  and 
rush  of  delight  from  my  little  darlings  and  a  welcome 
of  love  light  from  the  eyes  of  my  beautiful  wife. 

THE  END. 


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